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Keeping up a regular yoga practice is a wonderful way to complement your swimming regime. It will help keep your muscles and tissues supple which will enable you to swim for longer and prevent injury. We spoke to D&B Marketing Manager and Yoga Teacher Alice to find out the best five yoga poses for avid swimmers. Take your time with each posture, breathe deeply and listen to your body. If you have any shoulder injuries please consult your physiotherapist before starting yoga.
Why is it helpful?
This is a wonderful upper back stretch that promotes opening between the shoulder blades. Doing this posture regularly will help you to ease tension across the whole upper back. It’s also a great one for Mums or Dads who spend their time carrying around & picking up kids. 
How to do it?
Come to a comfortable seat. Raise your elbows up inline with the shoulders and make a goal post shape. Bring your right arm in front of your face and cross the left arm underneath at the elbow.
Option 1 - bring the arms towards your chest and hold the shoulders with opposite hands. Hold for ten deep breaths and gradually see if you can walk your hands around towards the outer shoulder blades.
Option 2 - with the elbows crossed touch your palms together (you might find it’s more the right hand fingers touching the palm of the left hand). Hold for ten deep breaths and gradually reach the elbows a little further forward away from your face.
Repeat on the left hand side.
Why is it helpful?
This posture is a big shoulder opener which also stretches the armpits, rhomboids and triceps. An all round great stretch for hours spent doing front crawl.
How to do it?
Come to a comfortable seat. Raise your right arm up towards the ceiling and take your left arm by your side. Bend the right elbow and bring the hand towards your upper back. Roll your left thumb to face towards your waist so the palm is facing behind you then bend the left elbow.
Option 1 - if your hands don’t reach one another then you can hold onto your clothing to add resistance or use a belt or scarf to hold between the hands and gently pull on it. Hold for ten deep breaths.
Option 2 - interlock your fingers on each hand together and gently pull them without moving the hands apart. Hold for ten deep breaths.
Repeat on the left hand side.
Why is it helpful?
This is a very nurturing pose that relieves a tight lower back by lengthening the spine. It’s incredibly soothing for the nervous system helping you to relax whilst gently stretching the chest to ease tired pectoral muscles.
How to do it?
Start on your hands and knees, keep your pelvis stacked over your knees and begin to walk your hands forward to create a long line between your head and your tailbone. Allow the forehead to either rest on a cushion or your yoga mat. Stay here for five deep breaths.
To add a delicious lateral stretch start to walk your hands over to the top right hand side of your yoga mat. You will need to move your head slightly too. Then begin to walk your left hand a little further than your right, breath deeply into the left side of your waist. Repeat on the left hand side by walking both hands to the left and allowing the right hand to come further round to the side.
Why is it helpful?
This posture will strengthen the whole of the back body, especially the hamstrings, glutes, scapular and posterior shoulder muscles. By adding in the bind of the fingers behind the lower back you will stretch out the pectoral muscles and front of the shoulders heads. It’s also a great pose to do for anyone who spends a lot of time working at a desk.
How to do it?
Lay down on the front of your body with your arms by your sides and your legs relaxed. Bring your hands behind your lower back and interlace the fingers together. Gently start to draw the shoulder blades together. Take a deep breath in to prepare and as you exhale lift your head and chest from the floor. Ensure there is no discomfort in your lower back.
Option 1 - keep your legs grounded on the floor as you lift your chest. Hold for five deep breaths.
Option 2 - lift your feet and shins away from the floor as you lift your chest and spread through the toes. Hold for five deep breaths.
Why is it helpful?
This is a deep stretch for the anterior deltoids (fronts of the shoulders) and can feel amazing after a long swim or an arms focused workout. It can be intense so take it very slowly.
How to do it?
Lay down on the front of your body and reach your left arm out to the side with the hand in line with your left shoulder and palm turned down towards the ground. Place your right hand by your chest and slowly roll to the outer edge of the left side of your body. Take this slowly as it’s an intense stretch for the shoulders. Your head can rest either on a pillow or the floor.
Option 1 - stack your right leg on top of your left and lengthen through the feet.
Option 2 - step your right leg behind you with the knee bent so the sole of the right foot is planted on the floor.
Option 3 - raise your right arm and bring it parallel to the left.
Rest for a couple of moments on the front of your body then repeat on the right hand side.
You can join Alice for our weekly Wednesday Stretch & Unwind. We run these sessions on Facebook Live at 5pm and they last 20 minutes as Alice guides us through stretching exercises, gentle yoga poses and breathing for 20 minutes. No prior experience necessary. Just pop on your D&B and a comfy pair of trousers or leggings, set up a yoga mat (if you have one) and join us.
Can't make 5pm? The sessions are filmed and uploaded to our Facebook page so you can watch the latest session in your own time.
