You can greatly improve the way you feel on long car trips by taking the time to enjoy a little car yoga during your breaks.

Here’s a simple sequence you can enjoy:

1. Standing hamstring stretch on car seat.
2. Standing twist
3. Wide legged forward fold
4. Scissor twist
5. Reverse plank
6. Triangle
7. Eagle

Sitting for long periods of time – whether that be in your car or at your desk – can lead to back pain, neck pain, hip pain and depleted energy.

Take just 5 easy breaths in each of these poses to work the kinks out.

The only equipment you need to practice car yoga is your body and your car.

Standing hamstring stretch on car seat

1. Open your car door and stand in front of it.
2. Bring your heels together and point your toes 3 inches apart.
3. Put your left foot on the car seat in front of you.
4. Make sure your knee cap and toes are pointed straight up.
5. Drive your heel into the car seat as you lift your kneecap and draw your knee towards your hip.
6. Bring your arms over your head.
7. Wrap your shoulders by rotating the inside edge out and the outside edge in.
8. Lift the pit of your abdomen. Breathe!
9. Repeat on the other side.

Standing Twist

1. Keeping your foot and leg position from the hamstring stretch, reach your right arm towards the roof of your car.
2. Bring your left arm behind you, thumb up, palm facing away.
3. Focus the rotation in your core, keeping your chin over the center of your sternum.
4. Bring your front ribs forward and pull your back ribs back.
5. Drive weight into the back edge of your back foot as you drive your front foot into the car seat, accelerating the hamstring stretch.

Wide Legged Forward Fold

1. Shut the car door.
2. Stand to the side of your car bringing your feet wider than your hips.
3. Turn your toes pigeon toed.
4. Fold from your hips and put your hands on the side of your car.
5. Tilt your tailbone up as you lift the pit of your abdomen.
6. Press down on the outside edge of your legs as you lift from the inside edge of your legs.
7. Breathe as you lengthen.

Scissor Twist

1. Stand next to the side of your car.
2. Bring the foot closest to your car in front.
3. Bring your front foot in line with your back heel.
4. Bring the arm closest to your car in back of you parallel to the ground.
5. Bring your front arm onto the car in front of you.
6. Keep your chin over the center of your sternum.
7. Press down through your feet as you rotate your front ribs forward as you pull your back ribs back.

Reverse plank

1. Open your car door.
2. Sit on the side of your car seat facing out the door.
3. Bring your hands on either side of the car seat.
4. Bring your legs out the door with your feet parallel.
5. Lift up, squeezing the back side of your body.
6. Lift and spread your chest as you breathe deeply.

Triangle

1. Shut your car door.
2. Stand to the side of your car.
3. Bring the foot closest to your car in front, bring your other foot back, lining up your front heel with your back heel.
4. Tilt forward over your front hip, placing your front hand on the side of your shin.
5. Lift the back arm up.
6. Rotate your bottom ribs forward as you pull your top ribs back.

Eagle

1. Bring your right elbow underneath your left elbow and press your elbows together.
2. With your feet together, sit in a chair position.
3. Then swing your left leg over your right, squeezing your inner thighs together.
4. Relax your eyes and breathe.

What’s so healthy about this sequence?

1. Stretch your back, hips, legs, neck and shoulders and all the joints that tend to get cramped on a long car trip.
2. Increase the flow of oxygen throughout your whole body.
3. Relax your eyes after focusing on the road.
4. Restore balance to your posture after sitting in a cramped car seat.

If you would like to learn more about how you can stay healthy on long trips, call today to set up an appointment 678-612-8816 or email catherine@unlimitedenergynow.com.

I’ve taught yoga now for the past 20 years and can teach you how to heal your body, integrate the benefits into your daily life and feel relaxed all day long.