With the help of Audrey Duval, a yoga and mountain bike instructor, we compiled seven poses for your after-bike yoga practice. These poses are for your shoulders, arms and hands. As Audrey explains, ‘shoulder, arms and hands do a lot of the work when you are mountain biking, especially on downhill where you can go faster over roots and rocks’.
‘After I dislocated my shoulder years ago, I started focusing on them in my own yoga practice’, said Audrey. These postures are focusing on the upper body, and will help to keep them healthy and free of injuries. When doing these poses, be aware that your shoulder should stay away from your ears.
Namaste!
1. Gentle opener – lay down with your bum at the end and your spine on a booster. Stay in this position for 5 to 10 min. If you prefer, you can have your leg into a butterfly to add some stretch, but if it is too much, add blocks under your knees so you can relax. It is very restorative and gentle…
2. Lie on your belly and gently roll on your shoulder.
3. Put your hands and knuckle together and slowly try to get your arm straight. It feels sooo good for the lower arm!
4. Finger stretch – they work so hard to grip the handle bar absorbing any bumpy terrain. So give them a little love: Grab one finger at a time (bring your shoulders down) with the fingers facing you and your arms stretched out in front of you.
5. Puppy pose (you can use your bike, window or the ground to do this one)
6. Put your hands down on the ground, and one hand with the fingers facing you. If you bring your bum back, it will stretch the arm…
7. Purvottasanasa – It is a full front body stretch. You can choose between the two variations below or try both!
If you have any questions or want to know more about yoga for cyclists, contact Audrey Duval.
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