It’s the third week of April, I can’t believe it! How are you doing? Do you feel more limber in the ribs, the spine, and the obliques? I hope so! This week is a favorite of mine called the Triangle Stretch. This is a good stretch for strengthening the legs too! 🙂  There are no major contraindications for this because we will be using the wall to support ourselves. Please listen and feel what your body is telling you, and only go as far as you comfortably can.

You will need a yoga block or something similar, and some wall space for this stretch.

How to do the Triangle Stretch:

1. Stand with your back against the wall. Take a wide stance with the feet, roughly four feet apart. Turn the left foot so that it is parallel with the wall. Turn the back foot slightly in, so your foot stance has your front heel to back foot’s arch. Place the block on the tallest height, between your left foot and the wall. Then raise the arms shoulder height, making them straight and active, as shown in photo marked step one. 

2. Inhale, reach the crown of the head to the ceiling. On the exhale reach to the left as far as you can while keeping the shoulder blades on the wall. This is shown in the photo marked step 2. 

3. Inhale, and lengthen the spine once more and as you exhale. Reach the left hand towards the block on the ground, extending the right hand to the ceiling, shown in photo marked step 3. 

Tip: if you cannot reach the block, place another block on top of it, or maybe even a folded blanket. You want to be able to push the finger tips or palm into something to keep you grounded.

4. Keep reaching the right hand up as you reach the left hand down. Push the feet into the floor, keeping the legs engaged and active. Pull the belly to the spine to keep the core strong. And see if you can keep both shoulder blades on the wall. This will optimize the stretch through the side of the body. You don’t want to look like the bottom right photo! Keep it aligned!

5. Inhale and expand through the side ribs. Exhale and keep everything listed above engaged and active. Stay here for a minimum of 1 full minute. Repeat other side.

Enjoy and read our other weekly stretches here and email me if you have any questions! Rlackowski@athletico.com