Raashii Khanna shares her ‘go-to stretches for anyone who spends too much time on planes, at desks, or in traffic’

Are these really helpful?

Yoga trainer Anadi Sharma said that stiffness mainly occurs due to a lack of movement, which reduces blood circulation, leading to muscle tightness, poor posture, repetitive strain, dehydration, and fatigue. He decoded Khanna’s favourite exercises and their benefits for us:

Hip flexor exercises work muscles that connect the upper legs to your pelvis and lower back, and help improve flexibility and range of motion in these muscles, reducing the pull on your lower back and promoting better posture.

Pigeon stretch, a prominent yoga pose, is an excellent exercise for enhancing flexibility, particularly in the hip region. It engages the muscles and connective tissues around the hips, which can often become tight or tense due to prolonged periods of sitting or other passive activities.

Dhanurasana is a fundamental spinal flexibility yoga pose that stretches and stimulates almost all important body muscles like arms, shoulders, back, biceps, triceps, core (abs), hamstrings, chest, hips, knees and the neck.

Supta Vajrasana is a yoga pose that helps to calm and relax both the body and mind, releasing tension and promoting a sense of well-being, particularly after a long day. It includes stretching various muscle groups, including the quadriceps, hip flexors, and spine. This can help alleviate any physical tension or discomfort that may interfere with sleep.

Standing obliques not only looks graceful and feels relaxing, but it also lengthens and activates the obliques. It improves flexibility and mobility, especially around the waist and ribcage. Further, it aids in lymphatic flow and digestion and helps counteract the tightness from sitting or doing repetitive tasks.

Stiffness mainly occurs due to lack of movement, which reduces blood circulation, leading to muscle tightness (Source: Freepik)

Some more stretches..

Sharma also suggested these five easy stretches you can do at your desk. “At first, observe if your shoulders, jaw and eyes are stiff. If yes, take a deep breath and relax them,” he said, adding that once you get done, move on to the following:

1. Neck stretch: Tilt your head to one side, bringing your ear toward your shoulder. Hold for 10 seconds, then switch sides.

2. Shoulder roll: Roll your shoulders forward and backward in slow circles to release tension and improve posture.

3. Seated Spinal Twist: Sit upright, twist your torso to one side, and place your hand on the opposite knee. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides to relieve lower back strain.

4. Wrist and finger stretch: Extend your arm with the palm facing up and gently pull back your fingers. Then, flip your palm down and pull again to ease strain from prolonged typing.

5. Seated Hamstring stretch: Extend one leg, reach forward while keeping your back straight, and hold for 20 seconds. Switch legs to loosen tight hamstrings from long hours of sitting.

“In case you are in a long meeting? Sit upright, clasp your hands behind your back, and hold for 15 seconds to straighten your posture and relieve muscle strain. Also, remember to hydrate yourself throughout,” Sharma said.