Stretch Your Gym Workout

By Nicole Kwan

Postures that will boost stamina and help your body recover

Stretching in the Sauna

Few things are more divine than a long hot steam or sauna. Whether you crave misty or dry heat, “if you’re in there anyway, why not enhance the whole experience by taking advantage of the body’s more relaxed state?” says Baron Baptiste, founder of Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga. “When the body hits a certain temperature in the heat, it releases a nerve reflex that actually relaxes the muscles,” says Baptiste, who takes his yoga boot campers to American Indian sweat lodges. Sweating intensely dilates your blood vessels and cardiovascular system so blood flow increases, and you also release toxins. So the next time you’re heating it up, try this routine before you hit the showers.

Reverse Namaste

Bring your hands behind your back, in between your shoulder blades. Press your palms together so that your fingers are pointing up, thumbs on the outside. “This is great to get into the interior deltoid muscles and to open up the pectoralis minor through your chest and shoulders- usually the tightest muscle for most people,” Baptiste says. Keep your shoulders back and elbows out. Hold for 10 breaths.

Seated Head to Knee pose

From a seated position, extend your right leg and bring your left foot to the inside of your right thigh. Square your torso towards the top of your right thigh. Exhale as you begin to fold forward with your hands on either side of your right leg or reaching for your foot. Anchor your sitting bones into the ground and actively firm your quads. “This will be an active isolation for the hamstrings and will start to release nicely after a few breaths,” says Robin Whitney Levine of New York’s Intelligent Yoga. Make sure you keep your back flat by lifting your sternum and lengthening your abs. Hold for 3 to 5 breaths. Inhale while lifting your chest. Once upright, exhale and release your quads last to protect your hamstrings. Repeat on the left side.

One-Legged Downward Dog variation

Come into Downward Dog with your feet and hands shoulder-width apart, hips lifted up, head hanging to the ground. Now bring your feet up closer to your hands, and lift your right leg up to the ceiling. Hold for 3 breaths “This inversion will bring extra blood flow to your brain, relaxing and shifting you chemically,” Baptiste says. Switch sides and hold for another 3 breaths.

NOTE: If you’re lying down in the sauna, make sure you have support for your head by rolling up a towel and placing it comfortably under you. Keep your chin lower than your forehead to lengthen your spine. Your knees should be bent, feet hip-distance apart, and heels slightly wider than your toes.  This helps soften the groin and lower back, says Sandra Safadirazieli. Place your hands on your belly to watch your breath or rest them by your sides, palm facing up. If you’re sitting, do it cross-legged and focus on lengthening your spine and keeping your pelvis level.

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