Side stretches

For the first stage, stand with your feet a little wider than hips’ width apart, hands on your hips, and gently tip the pelvis from side to side. 

See if you can feel the stretch down through the inner thigh muscles (the adductors). For the second stage, try to deepen the stretch through the torso as you bend more deeply to each side. 

If you are bending to the right, the right hand will end up somewhere near the right knee. 

In the third stage, lengthen the opposite arm and bring it up and alongside the head, allowing the weight of the arm to increase the stretch a bit more.

Inhale as you lift and exhale as you lower, moving from side to side and coordinating the movement with the feeling of breathing. 

This stretches the sides of the torso, including the intercostal muscles between the ribs, which need to open for the fullest expression of the breath. 

After moving side to side, stay on one side for four to ten breaths, then repeat on the other side.