- Are you moving consistently and experiencing muscle fatigue and tightness?
- Are you experiencing prolonged fatigue from Covid-19 and struggling to get back into exercise?
- Have you recently gotten over a sickness?
- Or maybe your body is in need of some gentle, considered movement to relieve tension and recover?
Whether you are easing back into movement or moving everyday, RECOVERY is one of the most important processes in your movement journey. Recovery promotes circulation and allows your muscles to both relax and engage. Recovery helps to reset your alignment, release tension and tightness and effectively balance your body. Without effective recovery, you may be overworking your body which leads to imbalances, pain and injuries.
If you have suffered from Covid-19 or recently came down with the flu, getting back into movement can be challenging and pushing yourself too hard may be detrimental to your recovery. Between a lack of energy, fevers, headaches and exhaustion, returning to exercise can be a slow and difficult process. You may feel sluggish, tightness through your hips and lumbar spine, and tension in your neck and shoulder.
Start with slow, low intensity movement to focus on your breathing, mobilising your joints, engaging your muscles again (after days of being stagnant) and getting your blood flowing.
Sometimes, some gentle, considered movement is just what our bodies need to ease back into movement. Try this recovery sequence that focuses on mobilising your hips and spine. Regaining mobility through your spine is important to regain alignment, promote blood flow and relieve tension as your body recovers.
- Arm overhead raises
Start on your back, legs bent and feet flat on the ground with your arms by your side. Inhale to prepare, and as you gently exhale float your hands up and over your body to the floor above your head. Reaching your hands long, hold for a breath, then float your hands back over your body to the ground beside your hips. This movement will start to warm up the body, promote blood flow and help relieve tension in your shoulders and chest. Repeat x5.
- Hip & arm overhead raises
Let’s start to bring movement down the body, into the spine and hips with a slow pelvic curl. Focus on your breath and as you exhale flatten through your lumbar spine and gently peel the pelvis and spine up off the mat. Hold at the top for an inhale and float your hands up and over the body to the floor above your head. Keep reaching your hands long as you gently roll back and down through the spine onto the mat. As you inhale, float your arms back and over the body beside your hips. Repeat x5.
- Knee pulls
Continuing to stretch the hips, bring your right knee in towards your body as you extend the left leg long. Gently hug the knee and hold for a full breath. Depending on your flexibility you will feel this stretch through your lumbar spine, into your glutes and deep through your hips. Repeat x3 on each side.
- Knee pulls with twist
Building on this stretch, bring your right knee in towards and across your body, stretching over your opposite hip and hold with your left hand. Take your right arm out to the side of your body along the mat. As you exhale, look towards your right arm, pressing into the ground, maintaining pressure through the right knee with your left hand. Feel the rotation through the lumbar spine as you keep both shoulders grounded. As you exhale, lower the right hip back onto the mat. Repeat x3 on each side.
- Leg raises
To promote blood flow through your body, mobility through your hips and length in your hamstrings, remain on your back and draw both knees into your chest. As you exhale, straighten your legs and extend your feet up towards the roof. Inhale as you bend the legs back towards your chest. You will feel the stretch through the back of your legs and lower back. If you have any disc pathologies, avoid this movement. Repeat x5.
- Torso stretch
Rolling over onto your stomach, bend your arms into a W shape with hands placed beside your shoulders. As you exhale, press through your hands and gently peel your head, shoulders and chest up and off the mat. Relax through your shoulders and find the length through the front of your body. Low energy combined with lack of movement when sick creates tightness through the front of your body. This position will help to reverse the effects of poor posture. Repeat x5.
- Child’s pose
Bring your hips back and onto your feet, holding an active rest position. Hold for five breaths as you press your 10 fingers into the ground. This position will stretch your spine, and relieve tension through your hips and shoulders.
- Cross legged mermaid
Come up into a seated position, with your legs crossed. As you exhale, float your arms to the side of your body, out and up towards the ceiling. Hold as you inhale and exhale to lower your arms back down. Repeat x5.
- Cross legged stretch
Repeat this movement with your right arm only, gently bending your body towards the left into a mermaid stretch. Hold this position and inhale deeply, focussing on expanding through your right side of the body. Exhale and press into your left hand to push your body back up to a tall seated position. Repeat x3 each side. This stretch moves your spine into lateral flexion and stretches the side of your body and hips.
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