Yoga For Bicycling and Indoor Stationary Bicycling

Despite the fact that bicycling and indoor stationary biking are among the best forms of cardiovascular conditioning, they often leave the individual with tightness, aches or even pain. A consistent sport related yoga exercise plan could alleviate a lot of of these ailments and symptoms; including lower back pain, trapezious tension and tight hamstrings as well as quadriceps.

Repetitive biking forces your body into long stretches of forward flexion, much like sitting at a table for extended hours or driving a car. Nevertheless because of the work required, bicycling can cause additional problems such as tightening in the muscles of the lower body, quads, hamstrings and gluteus. Yoga Poses offers us a way to remedy some of these concerns. The subsequent poses are a listing of positions that will balance your body and lower the chance of injury when bicycling.

Here are some upper body openers:

1. Chest expansion: During your bike ride, take time to regularly open up the upper body and draw your shoulder blades back and straight down, squeezing the shoulder blades with each other and contracting the rear muscles. Take ten heavy breaths and let it flow through the upper body and shoulders, which remain contracted during the ride. After this, keep the shoulders relaxed and open while riding.

When the ride is completed, get off of the bike, and interlace your hands together behind your rear and move your chest forward by pulling your arms as far away from your body as you possibly can. If you're at normal resting heart rate you can forward fold right into a full chest expansion by hinging in the hips and folding the upper body over the lower body. Keep hands interlaced for 10 heavy breaths.

2. Cobra pose: A chest and shoulder opener - lying the body face down on the floor, place fingers beneath shoulders and lightly press to arms to straight but not necessarily completely, maintaining a small bend within the elbows. Protect the lower back by keeping the hips on the ground and squeezing the gluteus (those muscles you're sitting upon) tight.

Here are some Quadriceps Openers:

1. Quad strength: Laying face down on the ground - flex one leg and seize the ankle, gently pulling the lower limb back and up. Next, try touching your own foot to the gluts and then switch sides. This can also be done standing. Be mindful if you've got knee problems.

Here some Hip openers:

Upside down pigeon poses: Lying face-up on the ground, raising the legs to knee level from the floor, take the right ankle towards the left quadriceps - targeting a spot upon the leg half-way between knee and groin. Pull left knee into the body, and push right knee away lightly up until you experience a deep stretch within the hip and glute area. Maintain for ten heavy breaths and change sides.

Hamstring Openers:

Forward Fold: When at resting heart rate, stand up, hinge in the hips folding forward - hold onto elbows, or for something more strenuous, hold your ankles. Now, with smooth breathing, sink a little further every time you breathe out, letting the crown move towards the floor and relax the neck and head as much as possible. Take ten deep breaths. These poses are not recommended for anyone having a heart condition or if pulse rate is greater than resting.

Side Openers:

Lateral Flexion: Because of the position on the cycle, it's quite common to own tight latisimus dorsi (Lats) as they are contracted for the majority of the bike. With this stretch we can open the sides of our bodies. While standing, bring both arms overhead; bring the right arm down resting the hand over the hip. Breathe in, lifting out the small of your back. Breathe out and lower the left arm above your head until you experience a heavy stretch up the left side of the body. Keep the glutes tight and lower the body while going forward as the chest muscles proceed to lift and sink. Take five heavy breaths and then change sides.

Practice these postures and by the end of the ride and you will feel rejuvenated, calm, and renewed. You will see instant differences in your flexibility. These poses may also be used for corporate employees, long distance motorists and moms who are devoting lots of time with small kids.

For more information on Yoga and Sports Conditioning take a look at Beth Shaw's Human Kinetics publishing available in bookstores right now. YogaFit has a lot of very informative advice in all aspects of yogafit.com yoga poses, training, and everything else. She also has a number of yogafit.com yoga exercises meetings several times a year and is a known yoga guru and mogul around the world.