Glute Bridge Exercise

Glute Bridge

A basic exercise that has many benefits in yoga and stretching. This movement is also known as the butt lift.

1. Lie on your back with your hands by your side with the palms facing the floor.
2. Place your feet shoulder width apart with your knees bent.
3. Without lifting your hands off the floor, exhale and press through your heels to to lift your hips off the ground while keeping your back straight.
4. After holding this position for a second, inhale and slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position.

Tips :

•  Keep your arms straight throughout the whole movement
• Breath through your nose and out through your mouth
• This exercise can be done one leg at a time to make it more challenging 

Benefits :

• One of the best exercises to stretch the lower back
• Loosens up the pelvic region
• Teaches glute activation
• Great for people with back pain

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Downward Dog Exercise

Downward Dog
This yoga stretch is very beneficial to do. It helps focus on the hip/lower back region. At first you might not be able to do this exercise perfectly due to lack of mobility, but go as best as you can and soon you'll be able to do it with ease.

1. Begin by going on the floor and into a push up position. Your hands should be beneath your shoulders with your palms flat on the floor.
2. Slowly start raising your hips up trying to aim for the ceiling. Your body should make an upside down "V" shape when done properly
3. Keep your eyes on your feet, and imagine trying to press your chest to your knees. At the same time, try to keep your heels flat on the floor. This might be hard at first, but over time it should be possible.
4. Inhale a deep breath and as you exhale try to go deeper into the pose. As you get more flexible, you should be able to nearly your whole foot on the ground.

Tips:

• Use a wider than shoulder width hand stance, for a wider downward dog
• If your hands give in, you can do this on your forearm.

Benefits: 

• Great for opening up tight hips
• Great for lower back pain
• Increase flexibility

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Arm Stretches

The average working person, usually spends most of their days sitting at work and sitting at home. Not using our arms much can really cause them to tighten up and lead to aches/pains. A great fix for this is doing some stretches that will loosen up our tissue fibers.

Here are the top 3 stretches that will help you loosen up your arms and increase your mobility/flexibility.

1. Triceps Stretch
Place one arm behind the head with the elbows bent and facing the ceiling. With the other hand, grab the elbow facing up and gently pull it towards your hand. Hold this stretch for about 15-20 seconds. Do the same for the other hand.

This will help with your mobility/flexibility, as you try to get closer and closer to bringing your elbow to your head.

2. Biceps Stretch
Bring your hands behind you and interlock them as shown in the picture. While keeping your arms as straight as possible, slowly raise your hands as high as you can while having them interlocked. Hold this stretch for about 10-15 seconds. Repeat this stretch 2 more times.

3. Elbow Stretch
The most common arm pain is usually located at the elbows. Try this stretch out and see if it helps. With one arm fully extended out, grab your fingers and gently pull them towards your body. While doing that, you should push your elbows ups to feel a good stretch in your forearms and elbow. Hold this stretch for about 10 seconds. Do the same for the other hand.

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Cat-Camel Exercise

Cat-Camel 
One of the most basic and commonly used pose/stretch in yoga. As the name suggests we will be round our back up like a scared cat and bring our stomach down to resemble a camel where our upper back and bottom looks like the humps.

1. Begin by going down on all fours with hands and feet shoulder width apart.
2. Inhale a deep breath and slowly arch your back up while gently tipping your head down.
3. Hold your breath and keep this position for about 10-15 seconds.
4. Exhale after the desire period of time and reverse the motion, allowing your back to sink down and your head to tilt upwards.
5. Hold this position for about 10-15 seconds and repeat if desired.

Tips :

•  Keep your arms straight throughout the whole movement
• Breath through your nose and out through your mouth
• If you experiencing pain in your wrist whilst doing it, try doing it on your elbows rather than hands

Benefits :

• One of the best exercises to stretch the lower and mid back
• Loosens up the pelvic region
• Teaches the pelvic tilt
• Great for people with back pain

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