Upavistha Konasana (seated wide legged forward fold)

Dandasana (seated wide legged forward fold)

To do this pose:

Come to a seated position on your mat. Extend each leg out to your sides, coming to a wide leg or splits position. You can keep your knees bent a little bit or if you’re comfortable, try extending them and flexing through your feet. From here, you can stay upright or start to walk your upper body forward in a folded position. Feel free to rest on your elbows, a pillow, a bolster, or come all the way down, connecting your heart to the earth. 

How this pose is especially beneficial for nurses: 

• It stretches in the inner thighs. This part of your leg is often ignored and so important in supporting your hip flexors! More leg injuries occur to the inner thighs and hip flexors because they’re weak. This pose lengthens and strengthens them, helping to prevent those injuries especially when running from patient to patient. 
• It stretches the spine. Especially if you are leaning forward, which offers some decompression to the spine and helps prevent those back injuries. 
• It stimulates digestion. Rounding forward helps massage your abdominal organs, stimulating digestion and release of toxins after a long shift.