30 Min Stretch | Stretch Twist Breathe is a nice, feel good stretching routine from Michelle Briehler. I have been working out very hard the past few weeks and I really needed this. It felt very good. However, I do have to point out that I do not think it is beginner friendly. It is not advanced, but she does a few moves that I do not think would be easy for beginners. Some you can just stay with the easier version of the move but others (#30 below) she gives no alternative and I do not believe it would be easy for a beginner. For someone who as been exercising for a while, an alternative/easier version of the stretch is obvious. But if you are a true beginner, it is not. Additionally, both sides of the body are not stretched evenly. #6 below is only done on one side of the body. Luckily I had previewed the workout and made a note to myself to pause the workout and repeat #6 on the other side of my body. Finally, for a beginner level stretch, I did think it was kind of odd she started with some core work. It is basic core work; nothing complicated or difficult but again, for a beginner, it seems a little odd when the title is promising a beginner friendly stretch yet it starts with core work. I am not a beginner, so I had zero problems with any of the stretches and it all felt good to me.
30 Min Stretch | Stretch Twist Breathe is 28:17 minutes; 30 second intro. Equipment: fitness mat. There is a progress bar at the top of the screen counting down the workout time as a percentage.
- Sit on mat with knees bent and feet on mat, hands behind thighs, roll shoulders; roll down to mat until back is a few inches off mat, hold isometrically
- Lay on back on mat, legs raised and knees bent at 90 degrees, hold this position while pressing low back into mat; lower one leg until heel taps the mat, return to start and repeat on other leg, continue alternating legs; pull both knees into chest and hold
- Still on back, lift one leg to ceiling and hold sole of foot with same side hand, pull knee down to outside of body (half happy baby)
- Reclining figure 4 stretch
- Still laying on back, extend leg to ceiling, hold calf with both hands and pull leg toward you, circle ankle
- Lying spinal twist, pulling knee across body w/ opposite hand, other arm is extended out to side; slide arm overhead then slide it down until arm is close to body, slide arm back up overhead
- Repeat #3-5 on other leg
- Sit cross-leg on mat with hands on knees, roll head/neck side to side
- Still sitting cross-leg, do a seated spinal twist
- Still sitting cross-leg hinge forward at hips reaching arms forward on the floor
- Get on hands and knees on mat, shift hips side to side; rotate spine; cat/cow
- Child’s pose
- Downward facing dog; pedal the heels
- Runners lunge with both hands on the mat beside front foot
- In kneeling lunge, extend both arms straight overhead; twist torso and with hands in prayer, place opposite arm on outside of front thigh; still holding the twist position, lift knee off mat
- Up dog/cobra
- Downward facing dog
- Repeat #14 & 15 on other side of body
- Repeat #16
- Child’s pose
- Seated spine twist with one leg extended straight, other knee bent with foot on mat outside of straight leg
- Sit with one leg extended straight, other knee is bent and open to side with sole of foot against inner thigh, side bend toward straight leg; hinge forward over straight leg into seated single leg forward fold
- Kneel on one knee with other leg extended out to side, one hand rests on mat and other arm extends overhead/to side
- Repeat #21-23 on other side of body
- Thread the needle
- Deep squat w/ hands on mat and heels raised
- Forward fold, hands hold opposite elbows
- Standing side bend, both arms reached overhead and to side
- Stand with legs wide, hands clasped behind back and reaching down, arch spine looking toward ceiling; hinge forward into wide leg forward fold reaching clasped hands to ceiling
- Deep side lunge stretch reaching one arm to ceiling, flow from one side to the other
- Wide leg forward fold with hands on floor
- Stand at one end of mat, reach arms overhead, hinge forward into forward fold, step back into plank, lower body to mat, push up into up dog then push back into down dog
- Lay on back, pull knees into chest and rock side to side; with hands on knees, circle bent legs in opposition
- Still laying on back, scissor straight legs, pulling straight leg toward body when it is lifted toward ceiling
- Lay on back with knees bent and feet on floor, arms are extended to sides in a T, shift knees side to side
- Lay on back and massage belly with hands
- Corpse pose for approximately 2:30 minutes
- Pull knees into chest
- Sit cross leg and take a deep breath reaching both arms overhead then bring hands together in prayer
For more info on Michelle Brieher’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
