Fitness Fitness Tips

This 30-Minute Full Body Deep Stretch Flow Is the All-Natural Mind-Body Relaxation You Need Right Now

Erin Bunch

December 18, 2020

This year saw a significant rise in demand and preference for gentler, more restorative workouts as we all tried our best to cope with the unprecedented, hyper-stressful (and often surreal) circumstances of the year. Well+Good predicts this trend is here to stay as we move into 2021. Since yoga has been—and will likely continue to be—one of the most in-demand modalities as a result, in the latest episode of Well+Good's YouTube show Good Moves, we tapped yogis Paris Alexandra and Alicia Ferguson, founders of BK Yoga Club, to deliver an emotionally and physically detoxifying 30-minute flow that'll transform you from a ball of stress into a stretchy, soft, and elongated piece of human yarn for what remains of this year and next.

Experts In This Article

Alicia Ferguson, certified yoga practitioner and creative wellness entrepreneur
Paris Alexandra, wellness artist, yoga and creative mindfulness facilitator

Just watching this gentle flow is soothing, and because it's 2020, if that's all you want to do, that's great. If you actually choose to participate, you'll want to grab two blocks or, if you don't have blocks at home, books or shoeboxes or really just anything similar in shape or size to a yoga block will do. Ferguson recommends a yoga strap or straps as well, which you can sub for a tie or towel in a pinch.

Then, follow along as Ferguson leads (and Alexandra helps demo) a series of tender but deep yoga moves combined into a therapeutic flow that works as a great way to start, end, or get over any hump in the day. It begins and finishes with a "yummy" shoulder stretch, which Ferguson says will help counteract all the hours we're spending at our desks and on our couches right now. Sandwiched between are a series of likely-familiar poses that'll ease out all the tension you're feeling in the nooks and crannies of both your body and your mind.

If you're a beginner yogi, this is a great way to enter into a practice as each pose is mild and well-explained with form corrections as the flow progresses. And if you're more of a pro, this could be a great rest-day reset to give your body a break to just recoup and recover without ditching the benefits of a daily flow altogether. It's also ideal for those who want to mix a day of yoga into their non-yoga workout regimen, particularly if stretching is not typically your priority.

In other words, this gorgeous, "yummy" practice is essentially a one-size-fits-all mind-body fitness fix that could easily become your new go-to through this challenging last stretch of the worst of the pandemic (fingers crossed) and beyond as we (hopefully) make our ways back into the busier, post-vaccination world to which we are no longer accustomed and may need a little help adjusting to. It's a health way to soothe your body and mind, and while I'm no doctor, I see zero harm in taking a daily dose of this flow.

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