Double the fitness quotient
Double the fitness quotient
Yoga offers yet another remedy for stress — partner stretches. All you need is a partner, a mat and about half an hour.
Partner stretching has many advantages:
- Improved flexibility: By yourself, you can only stretch to about 35 per cent of your capacity. With assistance from your partner, this increases to about 60 per cent.
- Internal organs are massaged and many systems are brought back to homeostasis.
- Toning and weight loss
- Hormonal benefits
- Relaxation and stress relief.
Let us start our stretching session for today. We are going to take a look at stretches for each body part so that the whole body feels stretched and relaxed.
Stretch for spine and lower back
- Your partner lies flat on back with hands stretched to sides.
- You kneel by her side. Bend her leg and place it on opposite knee.
- Push knee across body towards floor, holding shoulder down.
- Partner faces opposite direction.
- Hold till your partner feels a good stretch. Repeat with other leg.
Stretch for quadriceps
- Your partner lies flat on stomach.
- Fold her legs and hold her toes.
- Join feet and push gently against buttocks.
- Separate legs and gently push against buttocks.
- Hold till your partner feels a good stretch.
Stretch for gluteus, shoulder and spine
- Your partner sits with one leg folded and other over folded leg.
- Sit at a slight angle to your partner, facing her. Slightly bend one leg and place it on her knee. Place other leg on her opposite shoulder.
- Your partner's head is turned over shoulder and that hand is placed behind back.
- Hold her free hand and stretch it.
- Hold till partner feels a good stretch. Repeat on other side.
Stretch for back and shoulders
- Sit behind your partner.
- Hold her wrists and place your feet against her back.
- Straighten your knees and push her back away from you.
- Ask her to drop head backwards.
- Hold till partner feels a good stretch.
Partner stretches are perfect for couples — a wonderful way to relax together.
They are useful after a workout to stretch and relax the body. They also feel great after a hard day's work.
So yogis, find a partner and stretch towards a healthier body and mind.
— Bharat Thakur is the founder of Bharat Thakur's Artistic Yoga. For questions on yoga, write to dubai.artisticyoga
@gmail.com. For more information, log on to www.bharatthakur.com
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