Practice Point: Movements to Warm Up Your Body
Some days it’s hard to get out of bed, let alone determine what yoga practices (or other exercise) to do to start the day.
Holidays provide me with the perfect opportunity to explore different yoga practices and I found that a yogic twist on the warmup exercises from the circuit class I attend was the perfect warmup for me. These movements left me feeling less stiff and ready to face the day.
The full set of movements take about 5-10 minutes and has become my “go-to” practice when I’ve dragged myself out of bed, feel pressed for time and have no idea what I want to do. Bonus: There’s no need for a mat, I can do these movements barefoot and even stay in my pyjamas!
Thank you to Anna from Square Box Fitness for letting me share these exercises. My yogic twist involved:
Replacing jogging on the spot with the Dru Yoga swinging stretch
Adding a side bend
Changing a couple of the movements to similar yoga movements
Before you begin ...
These movements could exacerbate existing health problems. Only do what feels comfortable.
You might need to adapt the movements as follows:
Raise your arms only high as comfortable
Leave your arms by your sides, or place your hands on your hips and only do the lower body movements
Sit in a chair and do the arm movements and adapt the lower body movements
If you have time:
Lay down on your back in shavasana or sit in a chair.
Spend a couple of minutes focusing on how your body feels.
Note if there are any muscles that feel tight, whether the body feels balanced, or any niggles or pain that might affect what you can or can’t do.
The movements
You can repeat these movements as many times as you like. I found that 10-12 repetitions of each movement takes 5-10 minutes.
Swinging stretch
The swinging stretch helps to warm and loosen the body, increase oxygen intake and get the heart pumping.
Stand in the mountain pose, feet about hip width apart, arms by your sides.
Keeping your left foot anchored:
Step forward with your right foot and swing your arms up in front of the body as high as comfortable.
Depending on the size of your step, raise the heel of the left foot and come onto the toes.Move your weight back into your left foot and lower your arms by your sides.
Step behind with your right foot and swing your arms up in front of the body as high as comfortable.
Depending on the size of your step, rock onto the heel of your left foot and raise the toes.Move your weight forward into your left foot and lower your arms by your sides.
Do the swinging stretches 10-12 times, then repeat on the other side stepping forward and back with your left foot keeping your right foot anchored.
Swinging stretch
Arm scissors across the body and lateral toe taps
Arm scissors use the muscles in the upper body and warm up the shoulders, arms, chest and upper back. Lateral toe taps warm up the muscles of the hips, buttocks and thighs.
Stand with your arms straight and crossed in front of your body.
Have your palms facing your body and note which arm is closer to your body.
Take a step to the right and tap your foot while taking your arms out wide bringing your hands up to about the level of your hips.
Keep your arms straight.
Bring your right foot back in and cross your arms in front of the body bringing your other arm closer to the body.
Take a step to the left and tap your foot while taking your arms out wide.
Bring your left foot back in and cross your arms in front of the body with your first arm closer to the body.
Continue alternating sides and the position of your arms in front of the body. Do 10-12 lateral toe taps on each side.
Arm scissors and lateral toe taps
Arm scoops and heel digs
Arm scoops involve rotating the arms and the shoulders, warming up the wrists, arms and shoulders. Heel digs warm up and stretch the muscles of the buttocks and legs.
Stand with your arms by your sides.
Shift your weight onto your left leg, extend your right leg in front and place the right heel on the floor with the foot raised up.
Put a slight bend in your left knee.
At the same time, turn your palms forward and raise your arms in front in a ‘scooping’ action.
Turn your palms out and circle your arms out and down as you come back to a standing position
Shift your weight onto your right leg, extend your left leg and place the left heel on the floor while you scoop the arms up.
Turn your palms out and circle your arms out and down as you come back to a standing position.
Continue alternating sides, doing 10-12 heel digs on each side.
Arm scoops and heel digs
Arm pushbacks and back steps
Arm pushbacks target the upper arms, shoulders and upper back. Back steps warm up the hips and the back of the legs.
Stand with your arms straight by the side, palms facing towards the back. Spread the fingers wide to stretch through the hands.
Step back with your right foot and, keeping the arms straight, press the palms back.
Step your right foot forward and bring your arms back by the side.
Step back with your left foot and press the palms back.
Step your left foot forward and bring your arms back by the side.
Continue alternating sides and do 10-12 back taps on each side.
Arm pushbacks and back steps
Palm tree variation
The palm tree pose helps develop physical and mental balance. The pose stretches through the whole length of the body—the spine and the abdominal muscles. Rocking between the toes and the heels warms up the ankles and the leg muscles.
Stand with your feet about hip width apart.
Bring your hands in front of the body and interlock your fingers.
Inhale and rock forward onto your toes, raising your arms as high as comfortable with the palms facing away from the body.
Exhale and rock back onto your heels, bringing the backs of your hands onto the top of your head.
Continue rocking between the toes and heels while raising and lowering your hands.
Keep your body upright—avoid leaning forward or back while rocking between your toes and heels.
Do 10-12 repetitions before lowering your hands and coming to a standing position with your arms by your sides.
Another variation: Place your hands on the hips and rock between your toes and heels, focusing on keeping your core engaged and your body upright. I like to do about 5-6 repetitions with my hands on the hips and then 5-6 repetitions with my fingers interlocked and stretching overhead.
Palm tree variation
Swaying palm tree
The swaying palm tree stretches the sides of the body, particularly loosening and warming up the sides of the waist.
Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.
Bring your hands in front of the body and interlock your fingers.
Tip: Change the interlock of your fingers from that you used in the previous movement. We naturally interlock our fingers a particular way with one thumb on top. Straighten your fingers and move them all down one spot so that the other thumb is on top.
Inhale and raise your arms as high as comfortable with the palms facing away from the body.
Exhale and bend to one side.
Imagine you’re against a wall (or practise against a wall). In an effort to go lower some people will twist the body or lean forward or backward. Think about lengthening the body to the side.
Inhale and come back upright.
Exhale and bend to the other side.
Inhale and come back upright.
Do 10-12 repetitions on each side before lowering your hands and coming back to mountain pose, feet about hip width apart, arms by the side.
Swaying palm tree
Swinging twist
The swinging twists helps to energise the whole body, warming up the hips, the sides of the waist, the back and the shoulders.
Stand with your feet about hip width apart, arms relaxed by your sides.
Gently twist your body from your side, keeping the arms relaxed by the side.
Continue twisting and slowly raise your hands up to waist level (or make ‘robot arms’ where you bend your elbows and makes fists).
Step your feet about shoulder width apart, continue twisting and slowly raise your arms up to around shoulder height (or ‘chicken wings’ where you bend your elbows and raise your elbows up to shoulder height).
As you twist to the side, raise your back heel off the floor.
Optionally:
Reach your arm overhead as you twist to each side.
If you’re twisting to the left, reach your right arm overhead. If you’re twisting to the right, reach your left arm overhead.
Lower the arms back down to shoulder height.
Step your feet back in to hip width apart and slower lower the arms to waist level, and then back by your sides.
If you have time, do another round of the swinging twist moving the arms up and down.
Moving the arms up and down works into different parts of the spine. If you find a point that feels particuarly tight, you might like to keep the arms at that level instead of raising and lowering the arms.
Slow down the movement and come back to your starting position.
Swinging twist
What next?
If you have time:
Lay down on your back in shavasana or sit in a chair.
Notice how your body feels after doing these warmup movements.
You might feel you need to do more poses or movements to release muscles that still feel a little tense or move onto another yoga practice or form of exercise. For example, I like to do cat to release my back, hip rotations to open and release my hips, or move into a short breathing or relaxation/meditation practice.
Practise with me
If you are unable to play the video below, try accessing the video in YouTube: youtu.be/S4CE1Yz4sQU