Five moves to relieve stiffness and move with greater ease
Do you wake up feeling stiff in the morning? Or maybe all the fun and active things you’ve been doing this summer, like hiking, swimming, biking, playing pickleball, or traveling, have left your body feeling a bit tight and tense?
When we wake up feeling stiff in the morning, it can be due to muscle soreness, or it can also be due to restrictions in the connective tissues, such as fascia, ligaments, and tendons. The connective tissues can become less pliable during periods of stillness, especially after several hours of sleep in one position. This can create a sensation of tightness or limited mobility when we first start moving.
When we move, our muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and fascia must slide smoothly over one another. This gliding quality of connective tissue allows all structures to move with minimal friction, supporting efficient movement, reducing wear and tear, and helping prevent injury.
In this short yoga practice, we focus on enhancing that gliding quality through smooth, fluid movements that involve the whole body and explore multiple planes of motion. This helps train connective tissues to adapt and glide in all directions. We’ll also mobilize the joints, especially those in the upper body, and articulate the spine to restore freedom of movement. This practice will help you relieve stiffness, feel more supple, and breathe with greater ease.
This practice is done entirely in a standing position and doesn’t require a yoga mat. Try to keep your movements smooth and flowing, and stay within the movement range that feels appropriate for you.
Certain movement combinations work every time to release tension in specific body areas, and simple yoga practices based on these movements give us reliable relief from physical tension.
