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 | I've spend a lot of time (both in print and in life) dealing with stretching the hamstrings, those muscles that run along the back of the thighs. But what about the quadriceps, the muscles on the front? Well, they are neglected no longer as we take a look this week at three ways to stretch the quads. | |
Crescent Lunge - Anjaneyasana
This is a good pose for beginners since you can easily modify it depending on your flexibility. Backing off the depth of the front knee will give you a less intense stretch. You can also go the other way by bending your back knee and pulling your foot towards your butt.
| Hero Pose - Virasana
A lot of yoga quad stretches also incorporate balance and/or back-bending (see below), but not hero pose. No, all you have to do here is sit and breath into the discomfort in your thighs. If you're not feeling much in an upright position, you can intensify the stretch by reclining.
| Sugarcane Pose - Ardha Chandra Chapasana
For those who like to multitask, you can stretch the hamstrings on your standing leg and the quads on your lifted leg by taking half moon into sugarcane pose. You can even get a little back bend in there while you're at it.
| Pose of the Week - Hands and Knees Balance
 Ok, here's a fun variation to try that will really test your balance: combine your hands and knees balance with a cat-cow stretch Here's how: 1. Begin in your balance pose with the opposite arm and leg extended and your spine in a neutral position. 2. Your cat position is going to be with the spine rounded as your bring your elbow and knee to meet under your body. 3. For the arched position of cow, re-extend the lifted arm and leg, then bend your lifted leg and reach around for that ankle with your raised hand to accentuate the back bend (and get a quad stretch!). 4. Go back and forth a few times before switching the other side.
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