34 Yoga Stretches And Main Muscles Involved
No matter if you are a beginner in exercising or not, you probably know already that stretching is important routine before and after workout. I recommend yoga stretches because they improve joint flexibility and lower the risk of injury and pain.
Aldo, I do stretches when I workout, I never knew exactly what muscles I’m actually stretching. A few days ago, I found this great infographic with yoga stretches created by Vicky Timón.
Just take a look and choose the best yoga stretches that are best for you. You can easily find the troubled muscle if you ever feel pain when stretching. So switching your technique to a new exercise for the same muscle would be a simple move to avoid getting injured.
Don’t exaggerate with these yoga stretches. You should stop whenever you feel some pressure or strain on your joints. Focus on your breath, your movements too, which have to be smooth and natural.
It’s not important how long you are holding the stretch, just focus on relaxing your muscle when returning into initial position. Take around 20 seconds for this relaxing movement.
34 Yoga Stretches For Everyone
There are 34 different variations of yoga stretches in the infographic below. If some of them doesn’t give you expected results , you can try a different stretch for the same muscle.
1. Camel Pose
Muscles involved: Rectus Abdominus and External Obliques.
2. Wide Forward Fold
Muscles involved: Adductors.
3. Frog Pose
Muscles involved: Adductors.
4. Wide Side Lunge Pose
Muscles involved: Adductors.
5. Butterfly Stretch
Muscles involved: Adductors.
6. Forearm Extensor Stretch
Muscles involved: Forearm Extensor.
7. Lateral Side Flexion of the Neck
Muscles involved: Sternocleidomastoid “SCM”.
8. Neck Rotation Stretch
Muscles involved: Sternocleidomastoid “SCM”.
9. Neck Extension Stretch
Muscles involved: Sternocleidomastoid “SCM”.
10. Lateral Side Flexion of the Neck with Hand Assistance
Muscles involved: Sternocleidomastoid “SCM” and Upper Trapezius.
11. Half Kneeling Quad / Hip Flexor Stretch
Muscles involved: Psoas and Quadricep.
12. Forearm Extensor Stretch
Muscles involved: Forearm Extensor.
13. Lateral Shoulder Stretch
Muscles involved: Side Deltoid.
14. Standing Assisted Neck Flexion Stretch
Muscles involved: Trapezius Muscle.
15. Lat Stretch with Spinal Traction
Muscles involved: Latissimus Dorsi.
16. Lat Stretch at the Wall
Muscles involved: Latissimus Dorsi.
17. Child’s Pose
Muscles involved: Latissimus Dorsi.
18. Standing Calf Stretch
Muscles involved: Soleus and Gastrocnemius.
19. Front Split
Muscles involved: Psoas and Hamstring.
20. Seated Forward Fold / Seated Toe Touch
Muscles involved: Hamstrings and Calfs.
21. Single-Leg Forward Bend
Muscles involved: Hamstrings.
22. Deep Squat
Muscles involved: Glutes.
23. Seated Half King Pigeon Pose
Muscles involved: Glutes.
24. Standing Calf Stretch at the Wall
Muscles involved: Soleus and Gastrocnemius.
25. Lateral Flexion at the Wall
Muscles involved: External Obliques.
26. Supine Twist
Muscles involved: Glutes and External Obliques.
27. Lateral Flexion with a Dowel
Muscles involved: External Obliques and Latissimus Dorsi.
28. Triangle Pose
Muscles involved: External Obliques.
29. Chest Stretch at the Wall
Muscles involved: Pectorals.
30. Assisted Chest Stretch
Muscles involved: Chest and Latissimus Dorsi.
31. Seated Half Pigeon Variation
Muscles involved: Anterior Tibialis.
32. Supine Shoulder External Rotation Stretch
Muscles involved: Subscapularis.
33. Down Dog Variation at the Wall
Muscles involved: Pectorals and Latissimus Dorsi.
34. Assisted Chest Stretch Variation
Muscles involved: Pectorals.
Image credits: LifeHack
