Utthan Pristhasana (lizard pose)

Utthan Pristhasana (lizard pose)

To do this pose:

Come into a downward facing dog. Lift one leg up into a three legged dog, bend the knee, and take a big step to the outside of the corresponding foot, with both hands on the inside of your leg. You can stay here in a deep lunge or relax your back knee to the floor and untuck the toes as you move down to your elbows from your hands. You can stay here or start to roll onto the pinky toe side of your front foot and let that knee fall out to the side. Let your head and neck relax and breathe. 

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It stretches the back of your hips and the front on your hip flexors. While we’ve discussed the importance of opening the hips to release stress and tension, the front of the hip is just as important. The hip flexors and thigh muscles help to support your hip joints and your knees and protect them from injury. 
• It opens and strengthens the chest and upper back muscles. Hunching forward and closing yourself off is common in nursing. Opening up in the other direction helps support your heart, emotionally and physically. Strengthening your upper back muscles helps to prevent pain and injury while hunched over your patient’s beds. Does this pose regularly and extra after a hard shift to open up your whole body and heart.