Using yoga to loosen legs, hips and improve digestion

Fatigue comes in many forms, including physical tiredness and digestive issues. One of the great ways to reduce physical and digestive fatigue is through yoga practice. Even a few simple yoga postures, or stretches, can make a significant difference in how you feel. When the legs are cramped, sore or tired, you feel sluggish and unmotivated to do more. When our digestion is hampered or sluggish, you feel tired and fatigued. Today, Lauren Golen shares with you two easy yoga postures you can do anywhere that help reduce leg soreness while improving digestive health.

Kneeling bend  

This kneeling bend is a wonderful yoga posture that is terrific for stretching the hips, shins, thighs, knees and ankles while also strengthening the arches of the feet and improving digestion.

To begin, kneel with knees together but with feet apart far enough to allow you to sit between your heels.

If this is too difficult a position to assume, go ahead and separate the knees a bit to decrease the depth of the stretch position.

From here, place your open palms over the soles of your feel and slowly lean back onto your elbows and relax your head back, too.

Variation: If your hips are too tight to allow you to sit on the floor, you can lean forward resting your weight on your hands. Or you can place a tightly rolled towel or a foam roller under your buttock for support.

From whichever position you begin, slowly make your way back toward the floor, resting on your forearms. Try to relax into this position for a count of five natural breaths before slowly coming back up.

The backward lean offer a nice stretch into the abdominal area and legs, bringing fresh blood and nutrients to relax the muscles and invigorate the organs.

Wall stretch  

This wall pose offers a terrific way to relax into a stretch for the hamstrings and calf muscles. Leg circulation and digestion

For this stretch you will scooch up a wall with your butt and extended legs against it. You can either rest the arms, palm up, next to the legs or rest them on the floor raised above the head.

You can just allow your legs to rest easy against the wall, knees straight or bent as they naturally may. Or you can press your knees against the wall or pull your toes back toward you for a deeper stretch.

Relax into the posture and hold the stretch for about 5 minutes before rolling out of it by turning onto your side.

Because of the raised leg and relaxed abdominal positions, fresh blood moves into the abdominal area to aid digestion and the muscles of the legs are allowed to relax.

When done individually or together, these two yoga poses are fun ways to stretch the legs, improve digestion and relieve fatigue. Enjoy!