Practical Reasons to Work on Your Mobility

It’s morning and you’re getting ready to go out. You reach down to put on your shoes and suddenly realize that your feet seem farther away than usual. It’s been gradual, but over time, you’ve noticed you’re struggling more to do simple things, like put on your shoes, or even your shirt. Your body seems tighter and is fighting you more. What’s happening?

It’s too simple to blame it on aging. While that might be part of the equation, it’s not the whole story. What you do with your body matters. Before age 30, the body has much more growth hormone floating around to help with healing. Your body is more resilient when it comes to movement and requires less maintenance over all.

Imagine the body was like a car. A new car requires very little work to keep running like it’s supposed to, maybe an oil change here and there. An older car requires much more maintenance to function normally, like new tires, new brakes, and maybe a new serpentine belt. The older the car, the more work it requires simply to function the way it’s supposed to. Human bodies are the same.

Once upon a time, you might have been able to get up, go for a run, shower, and then go to work. Now, you have to foam roll and warm up your joints before you run. After your run, you need to spend time stretching out before the shower or your body will yell at you later. You might require physical therapy in between runs to deal with nagging knees, hips, or your lower back. Aging and staying active can be hard work.

Why we need mobility

In addition to losing strength as you age, you also lose mobility. If you don’t work on it regularly, you’ll find yourself getting stiffer. You might wake up with your body feeling cranky, needing a bit of movement every day just to feel “normal.” As I mentioned earlier, you might be noticing that it’s getting harder to reach your feet than it used to.

Mobility is the ability to move throughout your day without restriction. The less mobility you have, the more you’ll notice your shoulders when you go to put on a shirt. You might notice your neck when looking over your shoulder while switching lanes on the highway. Your hips and lower back might speak to you when you stand up after sitting a long time.

Mobility work, like practicing yoga, improves your ability to move through your day with ease. It allows you to stand up straight without struggle or strain. It keeps your neck and back from getting tight. You can reach down and pick something up off the floor with ease.

Spending time every day, or even a few times a week, can keep you functioning the way you expect your body to function. It’s like doing maintenance on your car, but instead, prioritizing your body. Dedicating 15-30 minutes a few times a week can make a huge difference in how your body feels for the rest of the day.

Yoga for mobility

I’ve been working on my mobility for my entire life. I was a dancer for 18 years, and have been practicing yoga for more than 30. What I love about practicing yoga for mobility, is that it doesn’t take long for my body to move and feel looser. I don’t need to stretch for hours every day, and time on my mat creates an opportunity to connect to myself.

Unlike when I was dancing, yoga cultivates mindfulness and teaches you to listen to your body. When I danced, I would force myself into stretches, pushing and shoving myself deeper to get more range of motion. Now, in my 50s, I find that to be dangerous and a recipe for injury. The combination of breath and movement makes stretching safer and the mobility can last longer.

I often describe the body as a rebellious teenager (that only gets more rebellious with age). If you force your body into a stretch, the body fights back. I imagine it saying “you’re not the boss of me!” Instead, if you move into a stretch slowly, breathing deeply, you will find that the muscles let go when they are ready to, on their own time. Relaxing into a stretch gives your body time to acclimate to what you are doing to it. The body feels safe, and it’s easier to move a little deeper into the stretch with every exhale.

Yoga poses for mobility

The following sequence of poses will improve your general mobility if you practice daily, or even a few times a week. They don’t take long and will help you shake off the stiffness after sleeping. I go through the entire sequence in the video down below.

Child’s pose

I love starting a yoga practice with Child’s pose. Not only does it help you bring your mind into your body, it’s also a checkpoint. If your lower back or knees is stiff, Child’s pose will let you know. As the body loosens up, this pose becomes more comfortable, giving you information that you’re working on the right poses. If you have “cranky knees,” check out this post on ways to support your knees in Child’s pose:

Ask a Yoga Teacher: What to do with cranky knees when practicing yoga

Start on your hands and knees (Table pose) and sit your hips backward toward your heels. Your hips may or may not make contact with your heels, depending on your knee mobility. Fold your upper body forward, draping your torso over your thighs. If your forehead doesn’t reach the floor, you can stack your hands or fists and rest your head on your hands, or place a block under your head. Let your head rest on something.

Breathe deeply, sending your inhale into the back of your body like you were inflating a balloon there. As you exhale, relax your torso, letting gravity pull you into the pose. Stay here for as long as it feels useful, at least 5 breaths.

Cat/Cow plus variations

When you go back and forth between Cat and Cow, you cultivate mobility through the entire spine in both directions. If your back feels cranky, spend some time with these poses, trying to connect your breath to your movement. Use your exhale to move into Cat pose, starting with the movement of your pelvis and finishing with the movement of your head. Then as you inhale, move into Cow pose, starting with the movement of your pelvis and finishing with your head lifting.

Sequential movement of the spine tells you where the “problem” areas are. You might have one part of your back that is less mobile than others. Moving one vertebra at a time from the tailbone to the head shows you where you might need to focus your attention. The deeper and more slowly that you breathe, the slower you can move, giving you more time to check in with your body.

I go into detail on Cat and Cow plus variations in this post, along with a video guiding you through:

This is Why You Have Chronic Lower Back Pain

Cross Legged Child’s pose

This isn’t a traditional yoga pose, but one that I enjoy nonetheless. I might have made it up, who can say. It’s a wonderful hip opener that’s relatively gentle. Perfect for when your body feels a bit stiff in the morning or at the end of the day. This is also included in the post mentioned above.

Start in Table pose. Cross your right knee behind your left knee so that your knees are “hugging” together. Keep your knees on the floor and lean your hips backward toward your heels, like you do in Child’s pose. Fold your upper body forward over your crossed legs. Reach your right hip slightly backward, away from your right hand. Your head may or may not reach the floor. Try to relax your neck, shoulders, and jaw.

Stay and breathe, relaxing more with every exhale. Stay as long as it feels useful, at least 5 breaths. Then repeat with the left knee behind the right.

Low Lunge/Half Split

This is a common duo that I teach in my classes, because it stretching the hip flexors and the hamstrings. These two muscle groups tend to be tight and impair mobility if you are someone who sits for a living, or does a lot of driving. I like to warm up by rocking back and forth between these two poses before settling in and holding them. Use you inhale to rock your hips forward into Low Lunge, then exhale to move the hips backward into Half Split. Feel free to put padding under your back knee for extra cushion.

Start in Table pose. Step your right foot forward so that your foot is flat on the floor and your knee is directly over your ankle. Your shin should be perpendicular to the floor. Place your hands on the floor or blocks on either side of your right foot. Inhale. As you exhale, straighten your right leg and flex your foot. Bring your left hip directly over your left knee so that your left thigh is perpendicular to the floor. Inhale to rock forward into Low Lunge, exhale to press back into Half Split. Repeat this 3-5 times

Once you feel warmed up, land in Low Lunge, pressing both feet into the floor. Engage your left glutes to support the hip flexor opening on your left side. You can keep your hands on the floor or blocks, or bring your hands to your right thigh to be more vertical. You’ll get more hip flexor stretch by bringing the pelvis more upright. You might have enough stretch with your hands on the floor or blocks. Listen to your body, no need to move deeper if you feel enough stretch as you are. Stay at least 5 breaths, the press back into Half Split.

Move your hands to the floor or blocks under your shoulders. Maintain a flat back, try not to round the spine. The more you reach your sit bones backward, the more hamstring stretch you’ll feel. Aim your 5 right toes toward the ceiling, pressing the ball of the big toe slightly forward and reaching your outer right hip slightly backward. This will intensify the hamstring stretch. Your right leg may or may not straighten fully. What matters is that you feel the stretch behind the thigh.

Stay at least 5 breaths then repeat the whole sequence with the left foot forward.

Seated side bend with arm circles

I love this variation as it creates mobility in the lower back, hips, rib cage, neck, chest, and shoulders. A lot of mobility value in one pose.

Start kneeling and shift your hips to the right so that your right hip is on the floor and your legs are to your left. If your hip doesn’t come to the floor, bring it onto a block. Inhale to reach your right arm toward the ceiling, then lift through your right ribs and side bend to your left.

Breathe deeply into the right side of your rib cage. Let your left ear fall toward your left shoulder and slide your right shoulder blade down your back. Stay here and breathe, then on an exhale, sweep your right arm backward to open your chest. Circle the arm down by your right hip, then forward, reach up over your head and back again. Make 3-4 big arm circles to open the chest, shoulders, and neck, then repeat, sitting on the left hip, side bending to the right.

Watch this short video where I take you through this entire sequence:

Join me online in June

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, why not celebrate with a Salute to the Sun?

Starting at the beginning of June, I will teach two 15 minute classes per week, with each class focusing on a few of the poses that make up Sun Salutations. By the time we get to the Summer Solstice, you’ll be able to put them together and flow!

This 3 week experience will give you a taste of what Vinyasa yoga is all about. Learn a few poses at a time then put it all together at the end in one seamless flow. Learn how to connect your breath to your movements. Finish feeling calm, connected, energized, and strong.

Click the button below for more information. All levels of experience are welcome!