20 Minute Slow Stretch Yoga for Hips + Sunflower Pose is another feel good yoga practice from Sara Beth that focuses on the hips. She also stretches out your back, shoulders and the rest of your lower body as well. This contains some deep, feel good stretches as well as some mobility work. My back is a lot better than it was last week when I did her two routines for lower back pain (30 Minute Yoga for Low Back Pain and 30 Minute Yoga for Sciatica), but it still isn’t 100%, so I was glad to discover in the course of this practice that I can do 3 leg dog again (I was in so much pain last week I couldn’t manage 3 leg dog in her Sciatica routine). That is a great hip opener. I used this workout to stretch my lower body out after a tough lower body strength workout.
20 Minute Slow Stretch Yoga for Hips + Sunflower Pose is 20:03 minutes; it is actually just under 19 minutes. The last minute is Sara talking about her yoga app. Equipment: fitness mat.
- Child’s pose
- Cat/cow pose
- Thread the needle
- Modified side plank (one hand and knee are on floor), top arm is extended to ceiling and top leg is lifted
- 3 leg down dog; bend raised knee to open hip; circle ankle
- Crescent lunge
- Warrior 2
- Stand with legs wide, arms reached overhead and elbows bent so hands are holding opposite elbow; circle torso down to side, into forward fold and up other side (this is “sunflower’)
- Wide leg forward fold with hands on mat
- Deep side lunge stretch with hands on mat in front of you
- Deep kneeling runners lunge (back knee is on mat)
- Downward facing dog
- Repeat #3-12 on other side of body
- Pigeon pose keeping torso upright
- Down dog; walk feet into hands and hold forward fold
- Lay on back in reclining butterfly for about 90 seconds (knees bent and open to sides, soles of feet together, arms are overhead with hands together and elbows bent)
- Still laying on back, hug knees into chest; roll bent knees to side so you are in lying spinal twist
- Corpse pose for 2 minutes
- Sit cross-leg with hands in prayer
For more info on SaraBethYoga and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
