Some of my fav morning (or really anytime you want to chill out and roll around on your back 😉 stretches…

You can even do these in bed!  You will open your hips, stretch your legs and back, tone your abs, and relax your mind.  Listen to your body, do what feels good for you, and just gently be with your beautiful breath and self.

1. Hug your knees: Big belly breath, send hip creases away from your head as you hug legs in. Snuggle in and rock side to side, massaging your back, to open hips and relax your low back.

2. Easy twist: hug legs in and drop them to one side, arms rest on the ground extended from shoulders, palms up. For a deeper variation, move hips over (a couple inches) to the side away from the direction you are twisting and then cross one thigh on top of the other. 5-10 deep breaths.

3. Release. Repeat other side.

4. Thread the needle (supta): Bend knees, feet flat, cross ankle on opposite thigh, flexed foot. Ground down through the back of the hip on supporting leg side. Breathe crossed leg towards and away from your midline until you feel some release.

5. Lift supporting leg in and thread your hands between thighs and under supporting leg knee. Again, deep belly breath and now snuggle both legs into body.

6. When hip opens, extend supporting leg into air and walk hands up to calf. Tuck chin into chest and roll head and shoulders off of the ground. Then, hug leg closer to body.

7. If you want to tone the lower abs, you can reach hands forward and make little pulses, taking your chest up towards the sky. If your neck feels strained, interlace your hands behind head for support.

8. Release legs and repeat other side.

9. Abdominal toner: Extend both legs into sky. Inhale and lower right leg to the ground, and exhale it back up before it touches the ground. Alternate sides.

10. For an easier variation, bend legs. For a more challenging variation, straighten legs and lower and raise both at the same time. Hands can go under lower back if you need more support.

11. Revolved Belly Twist: extend arms out to the side, next to the shoulders, palms down. Lift both legs into the air, with the knees slightly bent. Inhale and lower legs to the right side, creating a twist. Exhale legs back up before they touch the ground. Alternate sides.

Want more ease? Bend legs.

Want more challenge? Straighten your legs.

12. For both of the ab exercises, if you want more emphasis on toning, draw your navel to your spine as you exhale.

13. Bridge pose: To stabilize hips, stretch belly and strengthen core. Knees bent, feet flat. Deepen breath into your chest. On an inhale, float your tailbone up and point it between your knees and away from your chest. Arms alongside body, palms down. Stretch fingers towards feet to release neck. Maybe interlace hands under your torso and roll onto outer arms to open chest more. 5-10 deep breaths.

14. For more of a back bend, press hips to sky.

15. For more of a spinal stretch and core strengthener, lengthen the spine by reaching the tailbone between knees and breath it away from your lifted and chest.

16. Roll down slowly, from top to bottom and pause.

17. Reclining Goddess Pose – Supta Baddha Konasana: Rest with soles of feet together and knees open away from each other. One hand on the heart, one on the belly. Relax and soak up the nourishment.