10-Minute Yoga Routine with Stretches for Beginners
Don’t be intimidated to start yoga with these beginner stretches.

If you’ve been hesitant to try yoga because you don’t think of yourself as a flexible person, we’ll let you in on a little secret: You don’t need to be all that flexible to be a yogi. Sure, hitting a perfect split in your Downward Facing Dog looks impressive, but you don’t have to go that far to reap the main benefits of yoga—strengthening and centering the body.
Still, as you begin yoga, your body may not be used to moving and twisting in these ways, and you may need to stretch it out to train your body to be a bit more limber—regardless of whether or not you can touch your toes.
In this episode of Flow, yoga instructor Faith Hunter has a simple yoga routine full of stretches that are perfect for beginners. These stretching poses will help your body develop a wider range of motion that will allow you to do more challenging poses as you progress.
This yoga series to stretch out the body includes the following poses:
- Standing Mountain Pose
- Forward Fold
- Downward Facing Dog
- Downward Facing Dog Split
- Low Lunge
- Plank
- Cobra
- Child’s Pose
- Seated Spinal Twist
- Seated Forward Fold
- Seated Side Stretch
As you complete these stretching yoga poses, focus on the form. Do not compromise your form in order to get a deeper stretch—this can lead to injuries. A burn is good, but pain is not, so listen to your body.
For more yoga routines for beginners, try this 10-minute yoga series to learn basic poses.
Faith Hunter is a yoga instructor and owner of Embrace Yoga DC, a yoga training & community center located in Washington DC.
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[MUSIC]
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Hello, welcome to yoga on HealthiNation.
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My name is Faith Hunter and
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I'm bringing you a simple yoga flow
that is perfect for beginners.
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It will stretch you out and
release tension from your muscles.
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[MUSIC]
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We're gonna begin at the top of our mat.
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Bring your feet into mountain pose so
they're about hipbone distance apart,
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and your inner arches are parallel.
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Release the arms alongside your body,
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feel the crown of your head
arise towards the ceiling.
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Take a deep breath in and
out through your nose.
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Now as you breath in and
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out here just start to feel the sensations
and lower your heart rate from this point.
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Take a deep breath in and exhale.
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Slowly inhale sweep the arms
high over your head and
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begin to stretch out the side body.
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Reach through your fingertips.
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Draw the belly in and
relax your shoulders.
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If it feels good, go on and
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lift your chest up a little bit so you're
stretching out the front of your body.
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Take another deep breathe in and exhale.
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Fold forward hinging from your hips.
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Release the arms and
come into our first forward fold.
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Now we're gonna hold here for
a couple of breaths,
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just allow the crown of your head
to release toward the floor.
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Bend the knees if you need to.
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And if you wanna add
a little extra weight and
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allow gravity to take over,
place your hands on opposite elbows.
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Feel free to rock gently from side
to side, find a little movement.
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And once again, you don't have to
have your legs completely straight,
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you can always keep them bent.
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One more breath here.
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Release your fingertips to the mat.
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Inhale and lift your chest up halfway,
hands to the mat or
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place your hands at your shins.
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And then soften your knees,
plant the palms to the floor and
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step back into downward facing dog.
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Now in down dog,
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we're creating this beautiful V shape,
so press your heels towards the mat.
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They do not have to touch.
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And if you're feeling tight through
your achilles, your calf muscles, or
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your hamstrings,
feel free to bend the knees a little bit.
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Gaze back, take a few more breaths,
deep inhale, exhale.
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Spread the fingers wide across your mat,
so
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the thumbs are moving in the pinky fingers
are moving towards the edge of your mat.
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Take another breath.
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And then inhale lift your right
leg up to the sky so we're getting
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that first little extension, stretching
through the back of your left leg.
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One more breath and then slowly step
your right foot between your hands.
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Now if you foot doesn't come all the way
just simply grab it, give it a little tug.
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Bring it forward.
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Find the position that works best, so
you can keep your back knee up, or
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release it down to the mat.
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We're simply gonna hold here for
a couple of breaths.
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Kind of stretching out the hips and your
hamstrings, as well as your groins here,
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hold for a couple of breaths, keep your
chest coming forward, gaze forward.
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One more breath, and
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then slowly draw your hips back so you're
stretching out your hamstrings again.
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And then really feel your right
hip wrap back and fall forward,
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allowing your belly and
your chest to release over your front leg.
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Fingertips or
your palms can rest on the mat.
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And if you need to,
you can always bend that front knee.
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Holding here for a few more breaths,
deep inhale, exhale.
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One more breath.
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Go on and bend your front knee,
plant the palms, and step back, Down Dog.
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Let's go on and take the other side
Sweep your left leg up to the sky,
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flex your foot, extend that leg
as high as you possibly can.
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One more breath and then exhale.
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Step your left foot between your hands,
remember give it a tug if you need to.
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Back knee up or down, doesn't really
matter, just find your comfortable spot.
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Gaze forward and
hold here for a few breaths.
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Allowing your hips to sink,
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feeling that nice stretch to
the outer hip and your back groin.
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Two more breaths here, deep inhale,
exhale, one more breath.
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And then on your next exhalation,
drawing your hips back so
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you're stretching out
that front hamstring.
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Draw your left hip back and
soften your chest and
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belly over your left thigh,
going to your personal max.
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Relax your head and neck.
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And breathe deeply, inhale, exhale.
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One more breath here.
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Bend your front leg so
you return to your low lunge and
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then step back into downward facing dog.
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Take another breath, I'm gonna shift down
into plank pose bringing your shoulders
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right there over your wrist, lower your
knees and then lower your belly and
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chest all the way to the floor.
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Press into the tops of your feet and
you can lift up for your baby cobra,
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keeping the elbows hugging
in towards your ribcage.
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Or now start to stretch out a little bit
more, pressing up a little bit higher,
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into your king cobra.
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So the thighs stay on the mat,
your gaze is forward, and
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the elbows are still soft, but
your chest and belly are off the floor.
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One more breath here,
slowly draw your hips back.
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For child's pose.
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And I love child's pose because you get a
nice, little stretch from your lower back,
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also through the side body and
your armpits as the arms extend.
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And then soften your chin into
your chest and release the head.
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If it feels good,
maybe draw your hips back.
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Find a little wiggle movement.
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Reach through your fingertips so
you stretch out the side body.
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Deep inhale, exhale.
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Feeling that heart rate slowing
down a little bit more.
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One more breath.
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And then slowly begin to lift the body up.
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And then we're gonna swing your
legs forward so they're facing me.
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Extend the legs out in front of you and
just give them a little shake.
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Sit up nice and tall so you feel the crown
of your head rise towards the ceiling.
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Then you're going to take your right leg,
draw your knee in towards your chest and
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then cross your right foot
over your left thigh.
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Make sure that right knee is coming
towards the center of your body,
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and you're flexing your left foot.
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So you feel that energy
moving from your left hip
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all the way out through your left heel.
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We're gonna stretch out and
twist the spine a little bit.
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So releasing any tension through
your hips spine and shoulders.
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Taking your left arm you're
gonna hug your right leg.
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Breathe in, feel the crown of
your head rise and then exhale.
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Drop your right fingertips
behind you just gently twisting.
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If it feels good maybe gaze to the side.
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Breathe in,
feel the crown of your head lengthen.
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Feel the spine extend a little bit longer.
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And then twist a little bit deeper.
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Relax the shoulders.
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Remember to continue to
flex your left foot.
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One more breath here.
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And then inhale slowly,
come back to center.
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And then gently release.
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Let's switch to the other side.
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And then, draw your left leg in,
knee in towards your chest.
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Lift the foot, cross it over.
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Press the sole of the foot into the mat
and remember to flex your right foot.
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Breathe in, feel the spine elongate.
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Take that right arm, hug that thigh and
leg in towards your chest.
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Breathe in, exhale,
twist a little bit deeper.
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Drop your fingertips behind you.
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And remember,
don't sag into that back arm.
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Keep the spine long, keep your crown of
your head lifting as you spiral around and
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stretch out your lower back.
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Soften the shoulders and feel the opening
through the back body and your chest.
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Gaze over your back shoulder.
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Let's take two more breaths.
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Deep inhale, exhale.
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One more breath Slowly come back to
center, deep breath in and exhale.
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Unravel your legs and
give them a little shimmy shake.
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Go on and flex both feet and
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we're gonna keep the legs long,
extending your legs out in front of you.
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Draw the belly in, inhale,
lift both arms high over your head.
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Reach through your fingertips and
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then exhale lean forward go as far as
it feels comfortable for your body.
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So maybe your hands just simply
rest there on your shins,
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if you can you can grab hold of your
ankles or even go a little bit further,
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grabbing the outer edges of your feet.
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Try not to round the back, but feel
the center of your chest come forward.
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And your shoulders draw back.
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Deep breath in,
exhale go a little bit deeper.
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Go to your personal max
without overdoing it.
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Just enjoying that nice beautiful stretch.
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Through your hamstrings
as well as your back.
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Two more breaths, deep inhale, exhale.
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One more breath, slowly begin to lift
your torso up, and exhale pause.
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Cross your legs, one leg in front of
the other doesn't matter which one.
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Sit up nice and tall.
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And we're gonna take one more simple
stretch here, a nice side body stretch.
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So lower right finger tip up palms to
the mat, sweep your left arm up and
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over your head with your left palm facing
in towards the center of your body.
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Keep your left hip rooted to the mat and
slowly stretch over.
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Go as deep as you can, maybe you inch
those fingertips out a little further,
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stretch out a little deeper.
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And try your best not to
collapse around the body,
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but keep the front of your body open so
you're really feeling it laterally.
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Two more breaths deep inhale, exhale.
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One more breath, inhale slowly come
back to center and exhale pause.
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Let's switch to the other side.
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Go on and lower your left hand to the mat,
keep your right hip rooted to the floor.
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Sweep your right arm up and
over your head.
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Palm facing in, and slowly stretch over.
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Walk your hands a little further out.
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Last breath.
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Go a little bit deeper.
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And then inhale,
slowly come back to center.
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All right guys, there you have it.
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Your nice and
simple little stretch it out routine.
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And again, this is perfect if you've been
doing a lot of cardio, been running.
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And always remember,
give yourself time to stretch,
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release the tension because your
muscles will love you for it.
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Thank you so much for joining us here and
I'll see you guys again, right here,
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on yoga at HealthiNation.
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[MUSIC]