How to Use Yoga Straps

Yoga straps can be very useful tools for both beginners and professionals practicing yoga. When used correctly, they can help you strengthen, stretch, and open your body. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not know how to use yoga straps, causing them to miss out on their many benefits. If you are one of the many yogis ignoring your straps, use our poses and stretching tips during your next class to discover how yoga straps can improve your routine. What are yoga straps good for?

Leg stretching:

Straps can help you improve flexibility in your legs and hips without straining your back. Yoga straps can be incorporated in most leg-stretching poses such as seated and standing forward bend. Simply loop your strap around your feet and hold onto the other end with your hands. Pull the strap towards you as you lean forward to feel a stretch in the back of your legs. When sitting, this allows you to stretch your hamstrings and calves without hurting your back. When standing, it is most helpful for those who cannot reach their feet because it extends your reach and helps encourage proper form. You can also try more advanced poses such as dancer pose and V pose to help with both flexibility and balance through the legs.Shoulder opening:

We all know how hard it can be to open up your shoulders, but yoga straps can help. They make it easy to stretch your shoulders and upper back, preventing soreness and muscle pulls. Poses like a simple shoulder stretch can be good to practice both before and after your workout to prevent injury. All you have to do is hold one side of the strap in each hand above your head and bring them closer together, pulling from each side until you feel a stretch. Once in this position, you can sway your arms side to side or rotate them forward as it feels right. Opening up your shoulders in this way can help improve your form and posture. Yoga straps can also be used in warrior two pose for a greater stretch during your flow.

Core stretching and back support:

When used correctly, yoga straps can also help with core stretching and back support. If you cannot reach your feet in bow pose, simply wrap your strap around one or both feet and pull lightly with your hands. This can help you stretch your core and perform a pose that otherwise would be impossible without more flexibility. Straps can also help with back support during laying or sitting positions such as bound angle pose. Wrap your strap around your hips below your lower back and let your legs or arms keep the other side tight and steady. Doing this can help you relax and stretch your back without straining it. You can finally open your hips without applying extra pressure on your lower back. Straps can help you build flexibility and strength in the center of your body, and they can also help with balance during difficult poses. Try integrating straps into king pigeon pose for a challenging yet rewarding end to your yoga routine.

Yoga straps can be used to strengthen, stretch, and stabilize every part of the body. They can be very useful tools to have during class an at-home workouts. Click here to start taking part in all the benefits Sunshine Yoga straps have to offer.