6 Simple Pilates Stretches You Can Do At Home To Improve Flexibility

Pilates is a gentle strength-training program that helps people develop both strength and flexibility. To maintain good posture, it's important to strengthen the muscles you're stretching; otherwise, they can get weaker and lose their ability to hold your joints in place.

The following six Pilates stretches will help you achieve both goals—and they'll also stretch your back, side body, hamstrings, and hips. As always, remember to warm up your muscles before starting any Pilate mat workouts.

Wall Roll Down & 5 Other Pilates Stretches To Increase Flexibility

Here are six basic pilates moves to incorporate into your daily workout routine:

1) Wall Roll Down

Wall rolls are a great way to stretch your back and hamstrings. They begin with an opening of the chest and shoulder blades, then proceed into a deep curve that stretches the upper and lower back, as well as the hamstrings.

How to do it:

Stand with your back against a wall, feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
As you exhale, pull in your abdomen and move your chin toward your chest to roll down one vertebra at a time, stopping when you reach the bottom.
Let your hands hang in front of you as you roll up again.
Make sure your head is the last part of your body to uncurl.

2) Spine Stretch

The spine stretch is a great pilate exercise for the back and hamstrings, but it can also provide a moment to center yourself before moving on to more challenging exercises. Perform it gently at the beginning of your routine, or use it for a more intense stretch later in your workout.

Here's how you perform this exercise:

To begin, sit up tall with your back against a wall.
Open your legs about shoulder distance apart and point your knees and toes toward the ceiling.
Lift your arms in front of you with palms facing down.
Then gently roll your shoulders back as you breathe deeply into your belly.
Next, slowly curl your head down while pulling in your abs.
Continue to roll forward toward your toes as if curling over a barrel.
Next, inhale as you begin rolling back up the "wall," starting with your tailbone and ending with your head.

3) Saw

Saw is a perfect pilate exercise for building strength in your back extensors and stretching through the tips of your fingers. It also provides a good stretch for your hamstrings.

How to perform this exercise:

Sit with your legs extended, feet flexed and slightly wider than your hips.
Reach out to the sides and imagine that you are reaching to touch both walls of the room.
Move your waist and arms as one unit, twisting toward your left leg; keep your pelvis on the mat.
Gently round toward your left leg as you stretch back with your right arm; reach back with your left arm as you turn your palm up.
Exhale as you reach forward, bringing the top of your head toward your toes. Inhale, and sit up tall to return to the starting position. Repeat 3-5 times on each side.

4) Swan

Practice swan pilates to stretch the abdominals and hip flexors. Take it a step further by adding a neck roll, which will allow you to experience a free range of motion when the head and neck are supported by a strong core and stable upper body.

Here's how you do this exercise:

To begin, lie on the floor with your legs straight and your arms at your sides.
Next, inhale as you press into the floor with your hands and feet.
As you do so, send your tailbone toward the ceiling.
Roll onto your upper back, releasing through the neck and shoulders.
Pause for a moment before exhaling and lowering yourself back down.

5) Mermaid Side Stretch

Mermaid pilates pose stretches and opens the sides of the body, which can feel tight and stiff in many people. When practicing this pose, make sure to keep your hips grounded as you reach your arms up and over, so that you can feel the full stretch all the way through the center of your body.

How to perform this posture:

Sit with your legs crossed, as if you were in the yoga pose Sukhasana.
If your hips are tight and your knees are higher than your hips, sit on a bolster or folded blanket with your legs crossed.
You want to make sure that you’re comfortable.
You can sit in “Z sit” (with legs folded to the right side), “half lotus” (with your legs folded to one side), or bring your legs into any other position that is comfortable for you.

6) Hip Stretch

This is a quick but effective pilate stretch for the hips. By targeting the muscles just behind the outside of the hip, you can stretch both your upper and lower body at the same time.

How to do this move:

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.
Your spine can be neutral. You don't have to flatten your back.
Bend your right knee until the thigh is perpendicular to the floor.
Take your left hand behind your right thigh and grasp your right wrist or elbow with it.
Press your left thigh open with your left elbow. Pull your right thigh toward your chest with your hands.

Takeaway

Learning how to increase your flexibility at home can be a challenge. But with these six stretches, you'll have all the guidance you need—no matter where you are, or how much time you have to devote to your exercise regimen.

Edited by Soniya