Do you feel stiffness in your body as soon as you wake up in the morning? This stretching routine of just 15 minutes will keep you agile throughout the day:

Lucknow: Do your mornings also start with heaviness in the body, stiff neck or pain in the lower back? Due to remaining immobile throughout the night, our muscles become ‘cold’ and the joints feel lack of lubrication. You do not need any heavy workout to overcome this.

In this special report of Amar Ujala, we are telling you a ‘magic’ stretching routine of 15 minutes, which will not only eliminate your stiffness, but will also speed up the blood circulation in your body and fill you with new energy for the whole day.

15 minutes in the morning: ‘Step-by-step’ plan for freedom from stiffness

1. Neck & Shoulder Rolls

First of all, sit and slowly rotate your neck in a circular direction. After this, roll the shoulders forward and backward. It instantly relieves the tension in the neck and shoulders caused by sleeping in a wrong posture throughout the night.

2. Cat-Cow Stretch for the spine

Get on your knees and hands and move your spine up and down. It restores the flexibility of the spine and helps in eliminating stiffness in the lower back.

3. Standing Forward Fold

Stand up and slowly bend down. Let gravity do its work and leave the upper body loose. It opens up your hamstring muscles and increases blood flow to the brain.

4. Low Lunge and Hip Circles (Hip Mobility)

To relieve stiffness in the hips, come into a lunge position by placing one foot forward. After this, stand up and rotate your hips in a circular motion. This is a panacea for those people who work sitting on a chair all day long.

5. Chest Opener and Side Stretch

Bend to the side, taking arms above head to open up the ribs and chest. It improves the ability to take deep breaths and corrects slouched posture.

6. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Finally, bring the body into a ‘V’ shape. This is a full-body stretch that activates the calves, shoulders, and spine simultaneously.

Keep these 3 things in mind while stretching

Magic of breath: Take deep breaths with each stretch. While exhaling, leave the muscles more loose.

Do not shock: The muscles are delicate in the morning, so keep every movement very slow and controlled.

Hydration: Drinking a glass of lukewarm water before starting stretching helps with the flexibility of the joints.