It’s important to keep all your muscles flexible to reduce the chance of injury or pain. In addition, regular stretching can ensure you don’t end up with low back pain or other pain from sitting or repeated movements like those you can experience in a job. Although this inner thigh and quadricep stretch is a more advanced stretch than many we have covered so far, it can help keep your body limber, reducing the chance you’ll suffer from pain.
To perform this inner thigh and quadricep stretch, start in a lunge, with your right leg forward and your left leg stretched out behind you, balancing on your left toes and your front right foot, which should be flat on the ground. The straighter you can keep your back leg, the more stable you’ll be. If this is position is too hard, you can also lower your back knee to perform the stretch.
Your right leg should be bent at a right angle so your knee is directly over your right ankle. Engage your core muscles and slowly lower your hands to the ground, keeping them inside your right leg. Be sure you don’t let your right knee splay outward. You will begin to feel this stretch in your left quadricep, inner thigh and psoas.
This may be as far as you can go. Breathe in and out and try to relax into the pose, letting your hips drop straight toward the floor.
If you feel like you can go further, you can lower yourself to your elbows, either on a block or onto the floor.
Breathe deeply and hold the pose for 15 to 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat.