How to Do a Forward Fold When You’re Really Stiff

Here’s a forward fold that is accessible to everyone to get you loosened up in no time

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In a previous article, I dispelled the myth that you have to be flexible in order to do yoga. If you have tight hamstrings or consider yourself too stiff for yoga, here’s a forward fold that is accessible to everyone to get you loosened up in no time.

1. Grab a chair (the back of a sofa or sides of a desk work too).

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2. Press your hands into the back of the chair and lengthen your tailbone back. The goal is to feel traction in your spine.

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3. From there, let your head and neck relax, and micro-bend your knees if you need to. You can gently work on straightening the legs or just enjoy the passive stretch in this mild inversion.

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Enjoy, and if you’re new to yoga, check out all my free Beginner Classes on Youtube here. — Brett-LarkinBrett teaches vinyasa flow yoga at top San Francisco studios, companies like Google and Pinterest, and on her YouTube channel, where thousands of students have studied with her for over 6 million minutes. Get her free yoga playlists, yoga teacher training tips, and free dance, yoga and meditation classes at BrettLarkin.com. Beginner or intermediate yogis can enjoy her online course on deepening your yoga practice.