After a long period sitting, whether on a flight or at the desk, your body is usually not feeling the best. Swollen legs, tight hip flexors and sore backs can cause discomfort and make it near impossible to get comfortable.
Try these three delicious stretches to bring relief:
(1) Overhead stretch
Stretch arms high and interlace fingers, pressing the palms away from your head. Using this as your central point, keep hands interlaced, take them in all 4 directions. First try a baby back-bend, gently exhaling as you stretch arms back, then come back to centre. Next take your arms over to the side, releasing down the side body, back through centre and over to the other side. Lastly, still keeping hands interlaced, bring the arms down in front, opening up through the back of the shoulders. Repeat regularly.
(2) Warrior I/II or Low Lunge
Start standing with feet together, step your right foot back keeping the left knee over the ankle and press the right heel back. Extend arms to the ceiling or keep them in front of the chest. This will be a lovely stretch for the hip flexors and all the major muscles groups of the legs. Repeat on the other side.
(3) Legs up the Wall
Utter bliss for heavy legs, this pose provides relief from swelling and water retention as well as being rejuvenating for the mind. Five minutes is all you really need to enjoy the benefits. Start by sitting side-on to the wall (on the floor or on a bed). Swing legs up as you take the back to the floor, arms resting beside your body. Close your eyes and connect in with your breath. Use a scented eye pillow for the ultimate experience.