Don't Forget Your Wrists + Ankles!

Hello Overwhelmed Yogis,

We made it to February, and the new year’s enthusiasm has been sucked from a lot of us. These are the days to double down on the small habits that make a positive difference in how you feel. And I do mean small…

I love a good old lunge. Today I offer a lunge with a few add-on benefits as a movement break that will take you at most two minutes. See the video here.

Did you know that ankle mobility is linked to hip mobility, and your wrists are linked to your shoulders? So this lunge gets both the ankles and wrists into play.

Start by experimenting with your stance length and width. Easiest: a short, wide stance, with your feet hip-distance apart. As you progress, you can lengthen your lunge and put the feet in line with one another to challenge your balance.

Whatever your stance length, be sure your back heel is popping up. Extend one arm (same side as your front leg) to shoulder height, and make a fist.

Now rock back and forth on the ball of the back foot to flex and extend your ankles. Simultaneously, flex and extend your wrist on the extended arm.

Start with about 10 pumps from flexion to extension per side. Progress to anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute per side.

There you have it… you’re opening the front of the thigh and hip flexor on your back leg, strengthening your front quads, all while working your balance + mobilizing your wrists and ankles.

Questions? Feedback? I’d love to hear from you.