OWNyoga#ownshowOWN Video

A 4-Second Stretch That Can Help Calm Your Nerves (VIDEO)

A 4-Second Stretch That Can Help Calm Your Nerves
By 

HuffPost

|

A tropical vacation, a long hot bubble bath, or a relaxing massage -- all are great ways to relax, but finding the time -- and money -- for stress relief can often become a source of anxiety in itself.

For a quick and easy way to calm your nerves, Jill Miller, founder of Yoga Tune Up, shows us her "Take a Load Off" stretch in the above #OWNSHOW video. To try this instant stress reliever at home, grab a chair with an open back (a folding chair will work just fine). Lay down as close to it as you can and prop your feet onto the chair, letting your shins slide through the back.

Next, take a yoga block (Miller says you can substitute with a book) and place it underneath your pelvis. "This will create a little downstream flow for your breath and for your blood," Miller says.

Now that you're in the right position, the key to the stretch is all in how you breathe. "You start by ballooning the belly, then the ribs, then the top of the rib cage, all in one long inhale," Miller instructs. "Then hold your breath for four counts."

After four seconds, exhale and repeat. "With each repetition of breath you'll feel more and more stress just melting away," she says. Miller adds that this stretch is so relaxing and beneficial to the body that it can be held for three to five minutes.

Also in the above video, Miller demonstrates how to achieve this same stretch using just a wall -- or nothing at all.

More from #OWNSHOW: Try this stretch for a better night's sleep.

Like Us On Facebook |
Follow Us On Twitter

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

5 Stress-Busting Stretches for Your Shoulders
Half Dragonfly(01 of05)
Open Image Modal
Lay down on your belly. Place your right hand in a pushup position near the base of your ribs. Lift your chest slightly, and slide your left arm across your midline, parallel to the front of your mat and perpendicular to your spine. Gently square your chest with the floor and slowly lower your chest downward onto your arm. Take 10 deep inhales and then repeat on the other side.
Full Dragonfly(02 of05)
Open Image Modal
After finishing the half dragonfly on both sides, you may wish to deepen the stretch. To do this, lift your chest slightly and crisscross both arms underneath your collarbones. Making sure that your arms are roughly positioned at or just beneath collarbone height, walk your hands out and to the sides until your arms straighten completely. Allow your body's weight to descend downward and take ten deep inhales. Repeat with the other arm positioned in front.
Half Tabletop(03 of05)
Open Image Modal
Come to a seated position. Place your hands on the floor roughly one foot behind you with your fingers facing forward. Gently squeeze your shoulder blades backward and downward and lift your chest upward. Slide your breastbone upward and over your shoulder blades toward your chin to deepen the stretch in your chest. Lift your chin upward and backward to stretch your throat as well. NB: If looking back is uncomfortable, this stretch can be done while looking forward instead.
(04 of05)
Open Image Modal
Starting from the half tabletop pose, bend your legs and place your feet flat on the floor roughly two to three feet ahead of your pelvis. Draw your shoulderblades backward toward your spine and downward toward your hips. Lift your hips upward until your sitting bones align with your knees. Look either forward at your belly button or backward at the wall behind you. Hold for five deep breaths, return to a seated position and practice twice more.
Floor Assisted Chest Opening Stretch(05 of05)
Open Image Modal
Lie flat down on your belly. Extend your right arm outward to the side at shoulder height and turn your right palm to face upward. Roll onto the right side of your body, bend your legs and place your feet flat on the ground with one or both knees facing up toward the ceiling. To stretch your chest, reach your left hand behind your back, clasp your hands and sweep your hands up and away from your hips while gazing upward (above). If interlacing your hands behind your back is not possible, simply rest your left hand on your left hip and squeeze your shoulders backward to deepen the stretch. Hold for ten deep inhales, and then repeat on the other side.
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip