You will remember in my post about athletic burnout, I said that it was important for parents to teach their children to release stress? In this post, I will be sharing some of my favorite ways to relieve stress through stretching and breathing exercises. Try performing these whenever you start to feel anxiety or when you need a little pick-me-up.
Breathing-
Take deep breaths by first filling your lungs completely. Imagine you are filling your stomach, then your chest, and finally your head. Let the air out through your mouth slowly. This technique will bring fresh oxygen to your body helping ease anxiety.
Stretching-
Child's pose
Head to Knee
Cat & Dog
Forward Bend (optional arms)
Seated Pike
Lower Back Stretch Laying
Supine Frog
See if these breathing exercises and stretches help the next time you are starting to feel stressed. The stretches should also increase flexibility as well, which is an added bonus. Hold each stretch for about 20 seconds making sure you are breathing and relaxing the muscles.
Until next time,
Amanda
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