After putting in major cycling miles, your body needs serious relief. But don’t worry, yoga has your back … and legs and hips. This collection of simple and effective poses will help you recover from a long ride and get you back on your bike more quickly, targeting the areas that most affect cyclers. Hold each pose for 30 seconds to a minute, keeping your breath smooth throughout. The sequence is a great follow-up for your ride, but you can also use it as a pre-workout stretch—or a mid-ride break.
What it does: After a long bike ride, standing forward fold will release the tension along the back side of your body by stretching your hamstrings and lengthening your spine. As you breathe slowly in this pose, you will also reap the mental benefits—calming your mind and letting go of stress.
How to do it: Stand with your feet together—big toes touching and heels slightly apart—and place your hands on your hips. As you exhale, tuck your chin slightly toward your chest and bend forward at the hips. Lengthen the front of your torso to avoid curling the spine as you fold forward. Relax your head, neck and shoulders and let your arms hang loosely. Place your palms or fingertips on the floor beside or slightly in front of your feet. If you can’t touch the floor, cross your forearms and grab your elbows. To come out of the pose, bring your hands to your hips and lift up on an inhale. Keep your chin tucked and lengthen the front of your torso as you come back up.
How to get better: With tight hamstrings, the challenge of this pose is to find a balance between stretching the legs and lengthening the spine. Bend your knees slightly to allow your lower back to stretch out of your hips toward the floor. Let gravity do the work. Avoid pulling yourself toward your legs with your arms.
Watch the video: How to do Standing Forward Bend>>
What it does: This pose provides a stronger stretch in the hamstrings than standing forward bend. It will also stretch the hips, spine and calves, as well as strengthen the legs as you work to maintain your balance.
How to do it: Stand with your feet together. As you exhale, step or jump your feet 3 to 4 feet apart and bring your hands to your hips. Pivot on your feet to the right, keeping the heels of your feet lined up. Angle your left foot to the left 30 to 45 degrees, and line up your right knee with your right ankle. Square your pelvis as much as is comfortable with the front of the room by moving the left hip forward, while keeping the back heel pressing into the ground. Firm the thighs on both legs. As you inhale lengthen your spine, arch your upper back slightly and draw your shoulder blades against your back. As you exhale, fold forward at your hips, stopping when your torso is parallel to the floor. Rest your fingertips on either side of your right foot, or on a block if you can’t reach the floor. Keep the hips parallel to the front of the room and your neck in a neutral position as you look down at your toes. To come out of the pose, bring your hands to your hips, press the back heel into the floor and lift up your torso on an inhale. Repeat on the other side.
How to get better: If your hamstrings are very tight, bend your front knee slightly while keeping the thigh firm. Over time, your lower belly will move closer to the thigh, but don’t force it.
What it does: Hero pose gets deep into the front of the thighs, along with the knees and ankles. Don’t force this pose, especially if you are recovering from an ankle or knee injury. In that case, an experienced yoga instructor can help you work through the pose safely.
How to do it: Kneel down on a mat or a folded blanket. Touch the inside of your knees together so your thighs are parallel to each other. Move your feet apart until they are a little bit wider than your hips, with the tops of your feet pressed evenly onto the floor. Point your big toes toward each other slightly. Sit down between your feet. If this is uncomfortable on your knees or feet, sit on a yoga block between your feet. Bring your right arm underneath the left, crossing the arms at the elbows and wrists. Interlace the fingers, if possible, or press the forearms together. Keep the shoulders relaxed and lift the elbows to the height of your shoulders, with your fingers pointing directly toward the ceiling and the elbows forming a 90-degree angle. Switch the arm position (left arm underneath) half-way through the pose. Hold the pose for 30 seconds in the beginning, slowly increasing this to 5 minutes. When finished, bring your hands to the floor in front of you and lift your hips over your knees. Come to seated with your legs straight in front of you. Shake your knees lightly to release the tension in the legs.
How to get better: Push down lightly on the outside edges of your feet with your fingers or palms. This will keep the feet pressing evenly on the floor.
What it does: Head-to-knee forward bend will stretch the straight-leg side of the body from the sole of the foot all the way up through the scalp, opening up your hamstrings, groin and spine.
How to do it: Sit with your buttocks on a folded blanket and your legs out in front of you. As you inhale bend your right knee and bring the heel toward your crotch. Rest the sole of the foot on the inner left thigh. Let the right knee fall toward the floor, or rest it on a blanket if your hips are tight. As you exhale, turn your torso slightly to the left until your belly button lines up with the middle of the left thigh. Rest your hands on your thigh. You can stay here and focus on keeping your buttocks pressed evenly onto the floor and your spine long. If you are ready for a deeper stretch, bend forward at the hips as you exhale, bringing your torso toward your left leg. Grab onto your left foot. Press the left heel away from you and the left thigh down into the floor. Stay in this pose for 1 to 3 minutes and come out on an inhale. Repeat on the other side.
How to get better: If you have trouble reaching the foot on the extended leg, loop a strap around the bottom of the foot. Hold the strap with your arms straight. Don’t pull yourself into the pose. Instead, walk your hands along the strap toward the foot, keeping your spine long.
What it does: Spinal twists can relieve some of the tension that builds up in the back after riding a bike for a long time. In addition to stretching the spine, half lord of the fishes pose will also open up your shoulders, neck and hips.
How to do it: Sit with your legs straight in front of you. If your hamstrings are really tight, place your butt on the edge of a folded blanket. Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor. Move your left foot to the outside of your right hip and let your left knee rest on the floor. Bring your right foot to the outside of your left thigh, with your foot flat on the floor and your right knee pointing up at the ceiling. Rest your right hand or fingertips on the floor behind you, and your left hand on your right knee. As you inhale, lengthen your spine by sitting up tall. As you exhale, turn your torso toward your right thigh. For a deeper twist, bring the left elbow to the outside of the right knee with the fingers pointing toward the ceiling. Look gently back over your right shoulder, or toward the front of the room. To come out of the pose, return to the starting position on an exhale. Straighten your legs out in front of you—your knees can be bent slightly—and fold forward on an exhale. Inhale back to seated. Repeat on the other side.
How to get better: Avoid using your arms to pull yourself deeper into the twist, which can strain the spine. Instead, use your core muscles to turn as far as possible as you exhale. If you can’t get your elbow on the outside of the upright knee, you can also hug your arm around the front of that knee.
What it does: After a long bike ride, legs-up-the-wall pose provides much-needed relief for tired or cramped legs and feet. This passive pose will also stretch the back of the legs and help calm the mind.
How to do it: Lie flat on your back near a wall. Walk your feet gently up the wall until the soles of your feet are facing the ceiling. Shift your torso until it is perpendicular to the wall, and move your buttocks as close to the wall as possible. Straighten your legs. If your hamstrings are tight, you can bend your knees slightly. Rest your hands by your hips or alongside your head with your elbows bent. To stretch the groin, separate the legs into a v-shape, as far as comfortable. Bring the legs upright again before coming out of the pose. Stay in this pose for 5 to 15 minutes. To come out of the pose, move your butts far enough away from the wall so you can slide the legs to the floor. Roll onto your side and rest for a moment before sitting up.
How to get better: The two most challenging parts of this pose are getting your legs up the wall and resting your mind. Once you’ve made it into the pose, focus your attention on your inhales and exhales, while breathing slowly and gently.