In this video we’ll work to release the tension in the lats, the biggest muscle group in our backs, and then move to our triceps. Often times if one of these areas is tight, the other will be as well.
Equipment: two foam blocks
1) Myofascial release of the lats.
Start laying on your right side and place one of your blocks between the floor and your armpit. You may need to readjust a bit like I do in order to find the sweet spot that needs some attention. If you need some more support under your ribs, you can either wedge a blanket or the other block under you. Once you find an area of intensity, allow gravity to deepen the release. Rest your head in your right hand and breathe. Stay here for about two minutes before slowly coming out and switching sides.
2) Supine spinal twist with lat stretch.
This stretch will work the chest and lats and it is also beneficial for lung capacity. Begin on your back, and bring your right knee toward your chest then let it softly drop over to the left. Bring your right hand to the side of your head. As you inhale, open your chest and lungs, and feel your lats engage. As you exhale, close your chest and bring your elbow down towards the floor in front of you. Repeat for ten deep breaths and move to the other side.
3) Half Gomukhasana.
For this third segment, choose the variation that works best for you today depending on your tightness. Either standing with your right side against a wall or sitting as straight as possible as I’m doing, extend the right arm overhead and bend at the elbow, using your left arm to help guide it behind your head. Hold here, keeping your ribcage tight and spine straight, and slightly pressing your head back into your arms. Take several long breaths and repeat with your left arm.
4) Puppy Dog Stretch.
Set your two blocks so they’re about shoulder-width apart from each other. Place your forearms onto the blocks and walk your elbows forward so your triceps rest on the blocks and your biceps are facing the sky. At this point you can lower your head down. Feel free to move your knees back slightly and readjust so you can engage and lengthen your spine as much as possible. Be sure that when you exhale you don't begin to sag into your mid-back.
MacKenzie’s Bio
Work hard, find softness. MacKenzie Miller will leave you feeling as if you have flirted with gravity and laughed with the divine. Students are instantaneously transported away from the hustle of their daily lives, allowing their mat to be an arena reserved for cultivating inner peace.
MacKenzie is a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. Her teaching combines thorough understanding of alignment and anatomy with the joy of balance and movement. She engages deeply with her students and her classes are thoughtfully sequenced, creating a safe space to have fun and explore, work hard yet find softness.
No aspect of the modern practice experience is left untouched. All will leave energized, grinning and humming at the end.