The Simple Tweak Yoga Instructors Say Can Make You Way More Flexible

As we get older, even reaching down and touching our toes can be a, well, stretch. But it’s never too late to increase your flexibility, something that’s especially important for older adults. Whitney Berger, RYT-200, a certified yoga and Pilates instructor and founder of WhitFit NYC, explains that flexibility helps with daily functions and decreases the risk of injury and pain, fractures, and muscle strains. “It also improves balance, which reduces the risk of falls and the injuries that can come along with them,” she says.

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“Arthritis, osteoporosis, deteriorating muscles and other ailments tend to limit mobility as we age,” adds yoga instructor and personal trainer Nicole Glor, RYT-200, AFAA, who is the creator of NikkiFitness and author of The Slimnastic Workout. She says that flexibility can help counteract this, helping with both mobility and balance.

Yoga is especially helpful for increasing flexibility as well as strength, which can help protect against osteoporosis. Here, Glor and Berger explain exactly why doing yoga regularly is so beneficial for flexibility, the one tweak to make during your practice that can increase your flexibility, and specific poses to try. 

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How Yoga Can Help With Flexibility—and the One Tweak That Makes a Huge Difference

Berger explains that doing yoga regularly trains the body to become more flexible, and it does so in a way that’s gentle on the body. She says that yoga poses make the body move in directions and ranges that it wouldn’t normally be in during everyday activity.

Glor agrees, saying that yoga stretches the major muscles of the body. For example, she says that there are some poses that strengthen the hamstrings and quadriceps while other poses help with shoulder mobility and posture. She adds that there are also poses that help with hip mobility, which is important for flexibility. If you do yoga regularly, she says that you may notice regular daily activities becoming easier. For example, you may feel more balanced walking on a cobblestone street or managing suitcases while traveling.

If you really want to increase your flexibility, Berger says that there’s one small tweak you can make during your yoga practice that will make a major difference: holding the poses for a little bit longer than you would during a class that moves at a quicker pace. She suggests holding poses anywhere from between 30 seconds all the way up to two minutes—a goal you can work up to if you can’t currently hold poses this long. The reason why holding poses longer helps with flexibility is that it stretches the muscles more, ensuring the deeper tissues in the muscles feel the effects of the stretch. 

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If holding poses longer isn’t easy, Glor recommends making use of yoga blocks, which are often available in yoga classes. For example, if a pose calls for you to put your hands on the floor, but the floor is just out of reach, you can place your hands on the yoga blocks instead. This helps you still get the benefits of the yoga pose without putting too much strain on your body. “Eventually, you may be able to do the pose without the blocks,” Glor says. She also adds that using the blocks can help with avoiding injury during yoga caused by overstretching.

5 Yoga Poses To Increase Flexibility

Doing yoga at home will give you an opportunity to hold the poses longer than they may be held during a class. Here are some poses that are especially helpful for increasing flexibility, according to the experts. Hold each pose for anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes, whatever feels best for your body. 

1. Child’s pose: Child’s pose helps lengthen the spine, opening the hips, and stretching the thighs. To do this pose, kneel and sit with your knees slightly apart. Place your arms in front of you. Lean forward and hold.

2. Standing forward fold: This yoga pose helps relieve any tightness you may be feeling in your back, calves, or thighs. Start standing up straight with your feet together. Then, bend at the waist, reaching for the ground. Hold.

3. Baby cobra: Baby cobra stretches the chest, shoulders, and abs while strengthening the spine and glutes. To do it, lay down on your belly and place your hands under your shoulders and your chin on the floor. Lift your head, neck, and upper chest by engaging your core, pulling your shoulders toward each other and lightening the pressure in your palms.

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4. Happy baby: This pose increases flexibility to the thighs and hamstrings while gently stretching the hips. Lie on your back and point your feet toward the ceiling. Grab your left foot with your left hand and your right foot with your right hand. Slowly rock back and forth and side to side.

5. Downward dog: Downward dog increases flexibility in the hamstrings, calves, and Achilles tendon while relieving tension in the neck and back. To do it, stand on all fours with a slight bend in your knees. Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart. Inhale and strengthen your legs as much as you can, moving your body toward your legs. Exhale and come back to the starting position.

Whether you choose to go to a yoga class or practice yoga at home, Berger says to be gentle with yourself and not force your body into anything that feels uncomfortable. “It’s important to remember not to overdo it and force anything, especially if you are feeling a sudden or sharp pain,” she says. When it comes to yoga for flexibility, she says that patience and consistency are key. “While it’s hard to wait, you’ll see changes soon enough,” she says.

Next up, did you know yoga can help with constipation? Here are 11 poses to try when you feel backed up.

Sources

• Whitney Berger, RYT-200, certified yoga and Pilates instructor and founder of WhitFit NYC
• Nicole Glor, RYT-200, AFAA, who is the creator of NikkiFitness and author of The Slimnastic Workout

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