34 Yoga Stretches And Main Muscles Involved
Whether you’re crazy about exercising, or you’re a beginner in fitness, you may already know that stretching is a mandatory routine before and after a workout. I, personally, do yoga stretches because they improve blood flow, joint flexibility, posture, and lower the risk of injury and pain.
Even if yoga stretches are part of my daily workout schedule, I never knew exactly what muscles I’m actually stretching. But that’s until a few days ago, when I found these great illustrations with yoga stretches created by Vicky Timón.
Just take a look over the infographic below and choose the best yoga stretches that match your goals. With this information you can easily find the trouble muscle if you ever feel pain when stretching. So altering your technique, or switching it to a new exercise for the same muscle would be a simple move to avoid getting injured.
Don’t push too far with these yoga stretches, and stop whenever you feel some pressure or strain on your joints. You should focus not only on breath, but on your movements too, which need to be as smooth and natural as possible.
It doesn’t really matter how long you’re holding the stretch, so focus on other things, such as relaxing your muscle when returning to the 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. So if you feel like a specific stretch doesn’t give you the expected results, try a different variation 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 Quadracep.
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
