Release, stretch, recover

RELEASE, STRETCH, RECOVER

STOP STRETCHING HARDER – PERPARE YOUR TISSUES FIRST
If stretching feels uncomfortable, ineffective, or your muscles tighten up again shortly afterwards, the issue may not be a lack of flexibility.

Many people assume they simply need to stretch more, stretch deeper, or hold stretches for longer. In reality, if the tissues aren't prepared to lengthen, stretching can feel like pulling against resistance. The body senses this tension and responds by protecting itself, often causing muscles to tighten rather than release.

Preparing the tissues first can make all the difference.

FASCIA, THE MISSING PIECE
When we think about stretching, we tend to think about muscles. But muscles don't work in isolation. Every muscle is wrapped in and connected by fascia – a body-wide web of connective tissue that runs continuously from head to toe.

Fascia acts as the body's internal scaffolding, helping to distribute force, support movement, protect tissues, and assist repair. It also plays an important role in hydration. Fascia contains hyaluronic acid, a substance that attracts and holds water, helping tissues glide smoothly against one another.

When fascia becomes dehydrated or restricted, movement can feel stiff, heavy, and limited. The layers of tissue don't slide as freely, and stretching often feels less effective.

This is where myofascial release (MFR) self massage comes in.

RELEASE WITH MFR FIRST
MFR is a simple self-massage technique using balls, rollers, or other tools to improve the quality of the tissues before stretching. MFR helps prepare the body for stretching by:

• increasing mobility

• increases hydration

• improving circulation

• restoring glide between tissue layers

• reduces tension

• distributing stretch forces more evenly

• stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system

As the tissues become more hydrated and mobile, stretch forces can be distributed more evenly throughout the body rather than concentrating in one tight area. Instead of fighting against resistance, you're creating the conditions for movement to happen more naturally.

In short, MFR helps your body become more receptive to stretching.

THEN STRETCH TO CAPTURE THE LENGTH
One of the most noticeable effects of MFR is an immediate improvement in mobility. You may find you can move further or more comfortably within minutes.

However, mobility gains don't always last.

The tissues have a natural tendency to return to familiar patterns over time. This is where stretching becomes important. After releasing tension with MFR, gentle stretching helps reinforce and maintain the new range that has been created.

The goal isn't to force the body into deeper positions. In fact, stretching at around 60% of your maximum range is often more effective. You don’t necessarily need long holds. Around one minute per muscle group, five times per week, is enough to create change. Working gently allows the nervous system to feel safe, reducing the likelihood of protective muscle tension. 

Think of stretching after MFR as capturing the new length. MFR creates the opportunity; stretching helps the body keep it.

RECOVER AND MOVE BETTER
Together, MFR and stretching create a powerful combination to:

• improve mobility

• Improved hydration

• Improved circulation

• nervous system regulation

• reduce stiffness

• ease DOMS

• help you recover faster

• and even help you sleep better

The stretch formula = Release + Stretch + Recover

Give this sequence a go or join my new The Stretch Reset class on SYFL for a guided session combining MFR and stretching to help your body move better and recover faster. Use the code YOGARU50 to get 50% off your first month.

EXPLORING RELEASE, STRETCH, RECOVER IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence combines myofascial release (MFR) and gentle stretching to help restore mobility, ease tension, and support recovery – perfect after training, after a long day sitting, or whenever your body needs a reset.

It is divided into three sections – hips, shoulders and spine. To maximise the effect of the MFR you will follow it with both dynamic stretching with two mini and static stretching immediately after.

Take your time and spend 30-60 seconds per area with the MFR and 60 seconds in each static stretch. Notice any changes in your range of movement and your fluid movement after.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Below are the MFR and stretching techniques used in this sequence. The props you’ll need are:
1 x bolster - or 2 towels, wrapped around a horizontally rolled pillow and tied to secure.
1 x yoga blankets - or any wool, thick cotton or fleece blanket with density.
2 x yoga bricks - or two thick similar sized dictionaries.
2 x MFR balls - or 1 tennis ball.

MFR
No.1 - hams
Compression - from seated, place 2 x balls on a brick at the top of your thigh, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly lean forward over your extended leg to gently stretch the hamstrings x 5.
Roll & cross fibre - roll the leg side to side, up and down.

No.2 - glute max
Compression - from supine with knees bent, place 2 x balls in the centre of each buttock muscle, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly lift and lower one knee at a time towards your chest x 5. Place your right foot on your left knee and lower and lift your right knee.
Roll & cross fibre - roll around the whole buttocks area.

No.3 - pecs & lats
Rocking - from side lying, place the brick on its mid height in the centre of the armpit. Rock your weight back and forward for the lats then pull the brick a little more forward and rock forward and back for the pecs.

No.4 - quadratus lumborum
Compression - from supine with knees bent, place 2 x balls above the back of the hips either side of the spine, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly lift and lower one knee at a time towards your chest x 5.
Roll & cross fibre - roll up and down the lower spine below the ribs.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Posture stacking

WHY POSTURE MATTERS
Poor posture doesn’t just affect how we look – it influences how we breathe, move, balance, and age. Over time, it can contribute to back pain, neck tension, reduced mobility, and even low energy levels.

Modern life often works against good posture. Hours spent sitting, driving, scrolling, and working at desks can reinforce poor movement habits without us even realising it.

Poor posture exists on a spectrum – from subtle asymmetries that may never cause problems to more noticeable misalignments that can lead to pain and dysfunction over time.

Posture plays an important role in overall wellbeing, and awareness is the first step toward improving it. To observe your own posture, try catching yourself before you automatically correct it. Notice whether you tend to have forward head carriage, rounded shoulders, a rounded upper back, an overly arched or flattened lower back, or knees and feet that turn excessively inward or outward.

It can be difficult to assess ourselves objectively, so ask a friend or partner to observe how you move throughout your normal day and share any patterns they notice. That feedback can be incredibly valuable. Once you identify where your body feels tight, weak, or compensating, you can begin addressing what you specifically need to improve your posture.

POSTURE BRICKS
Good posture doesn’t come naturally to most people – it’s a skill built through awareness, mobility, strength and consistent practice.

Think of posture as the architecture of your body. Gravity places constant load on this structure and, over time, it will often find weak points. Our goal is to maintain this architecture so it stays resilient, strong and capable for years to come.

A concept I teach all of my students is posture stacking. Imagine your body is made up of bricks: feet, ankles, knees, pelvis, shoulders and head. When these bricks stack efficiently on top of one another, your body distributes load properly and moves with ease.

When one brick shifts out of place, everything above and below it must compensate. If the pelvis tips forward, the spine loses its natural curves and load gets pushed into areas that weren’t designed to carry it. If the shoulders round forward, the head often follows – placing extra strain on the neck and upper back.

I encourage my students to observe their posture stacking throughout class so they can bring that awareness into daily life – how they sit at their desk, walk, climb stairs, carry shopping and move through their day.

Posture stacking isn’t limited to standing still. You can explore it throughout yoga poses and dynamic transitions too. In High Lunge check whether the pelvis is upright and steady. In Warrior II notice whether one shoulder is drifting forward. During transitions, use strength and control to move slowly and with awareness. Yoga gives us endless opportunities to practise better alignment in motion.

YOGA FOR GOOD POSTURE 
One of yoga’s greatest benefits is that it strengthens the muscles that support posture while improving body awareness. This awareness – known as proprioception – is your ability to sense where your body is in space, and it plays a huge role in how efficiently you move.

Strong posture requires a balance of mobility, stability and strength – and yoga develops all three. While many muscles contribute to good posture, some of the key players include the gluteus medius and gluteus maximus, which stabilise the hips; the transverse abdominis (TVA), which supports the lower back; the erectors, which help keep the spine upright; and the lower trapezius and rhomboids, which support the upper back and shoulders.

Many yoga poses – particularly standing poses like Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II) and Ashta Chandrasana (High Lunge) – play an important role in strengthening the hips and glutes, helping the pelvis stay stable so the spine doesn’t have to compensate.

Backbends against gravity, such as Salabhasana (Locust Pose) and Ardha Uttanasana (Half Forward Fold), strengthen the muscles along the spine and upper back, helping to counteract the rounded posture many of us develop from desk work and looking down at phones.

Yoga also offers a wide variety of arm positions that help open the front of the chest while strengthening the back of the shoulders. This helps anchor the shoulder blades more effectively onto the ribcage – an essential component of maintaining an upright, supported upper-body posture.

The feet are often overlooked, yet they’re the foundation of posture. Each foot contains 26 bones and over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments that absorb force, create stability and keep us balanced. That’s why I include balance work in many of my sequences – so your body becomes better at adapting to everyday challenges like uneven ground, sudden movement or simply moving through life with more confidence.

Stress affects posture too. When we feel overwhelmed, we often collapse forward, breathe shallowly and physically shrink. Yoga helps interrupt that pattern through movement, breath and nervous system regulation. Sometimes simply opening the chest and standing taller can shift both your posture and your mindset.

POSTURE CHECK INS
Throughout your day, check in with your posture using these simple cues.

Think of your pelvis as a bowl carrying precious liquid that you don’t want to spill. If you feel your pelvis tipping backward while sitting or standing, gently rock forward on your sit bones to restack it.

Then notice your chest. If it feels collapsed, imagine a string attached to the centre of your chest gently lifting it forward and upward, helping your ribs and shoulders stack back over your pelvis.

Small corrections repeated consistently can create lasting change.

Good posture helps you move with less pain, breathe more efficiently, maintain independence as you age, improve athletic performance, reduce tension headaches, support joint health and feel stronger and more confident. Most importantly, it helps you move through life with greater ease.

Good posture = mobility + stability + strength + balance + body awareness.

That’s exactly what we work on in my sequences and yoga classes – helping you build better posture for life, not just for the yoga mat.

Join me in class, use the code YOGARU50, and start strengthening your posture from the ground up.

EXPLORING POSTURE STACKING IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence focuses on stretching the pecs, upper trapezius, hip flexors, quads and lats; and strengthening the glutes, TVA, erectors, lower trapezius and rhomboids. It gets started with MFR to wake up some of the postural muscles and some standing balance drills which will immediately wake up all the balancing and postural muscles. As you are doing your balance drills check in with your posture stacking. 

The second and third rows are your two main standing fires. I recommend you flow through them once with a few breaths per pose and then flow through them another 1-3 times depending on your time with the breath count indicated in the sequence. As you flow through the standing flow check your posture bricks and notice your main postural muscles listed above switching on as you work on strengthening your posture.

Finally, the sequence brings you down to the ground for your cool-down and a final opportunity to try out posture stacking from a seated position.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Below are the MFR and stretching techniques used in this sequence. The props you’ll need are:
1 x yoga bricks - or two thick similar sized dictionaries.
2 x MFR balls - or 1 tennis ball.

MFR
No.1 - Glute med
Compression - from side lying up on your forearm, stack 2 x balls behind your frontal hip bone on your outer hip, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly lift and lower your leg x 5.
Roll & cross fibre - roll up and down on your outer hip.

No.2 - Pecs & lats
Rocking - from side lying, place the brick on its mid height in the centre of the armpit. Rock your weight back and forward for the lats then pull the brick a little more forward and rock forward and back for the pecs.

No.3 - Glute max
Compression - from supine with knees bent, place 2 x balls in the centre of each buttock muscle, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly lift and lower one knee at a time towards your chest x 5. Place your right foot on your left knee and lower and lift your right knee.
Roll & cross fibre - roll around the whole buttocks area.

No.3 - Erectors
Compression - from supine with knees bent, place 2 x balls above the back of the hips either side of the spine, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly lift and lower one knee at a time towards your chest x 5.
Roll & cross fibre - roll up and down the lower spine below the ribs.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Mobility & stability

WHY MOBILITY MATTERS
It feels good to move well – with control, ease, and access to your full range of motion. When range of movement decreases, it doesn’t just affect exercise – it impacts the quality of daily life and your ability to do the things you love. Mobility allows your body to keep functioning well as you age, so you can stay active and continue to enjoy a full, capable life.

Mobility plays a central role in joint health, tissue resilience, and overall strength. When joints aren’t regularly taken through their full range, they gradually lose function. Over time, the body compensates for these restrictions, which often leads to chronic pain or discomfort. Maintaining range of movement is also key for injury prevention, as limited movement makes joints more vulnerable to strain. Keeping the body moving fluidly supports everyday actions like getting up, sitting down, and moving with ease.

WHY STABILITY MATTERS
To fully support the body, mobility needs to work in partnership with stability. Strength provides stability. While mobility allows you to access your full range of movement, stability protects the joints, and distributes load evenly. When the body encounters stress, it will always look for the weakest link, so building strength helps prevent overload in more vulnerable areas. At the same time, flexibility without strength leaves joints unsupported, which is why range with control is so important.

THE BALANCE OF BOTH
Flexibility, mobility, strength, and stability are all interconnected. Too much focus on strength without mobility reduces range of motion, while too much mobility without strength leads to a lack of control. When both are developed together, the result is functional strength, greater resilience, and a reduced risk of injury. Posture is a simple example of this relationship: mobility allows you to move into good alignment, while strength allows you to maintain it. The body works more efficiently when both are present.

STRENGTH TRAINING + FLEXIBILITY
There’s a common misconception that strength training reduces flexibility, but when done well and balanced with yoga, it actually improves it. Strength training helps you control your range of motion rather than limit it, creating more stable and supported movement both in yoga and in daily life.

The more you actively move through, and control, range of motion the more your nervous system maps new motion territory. When you are more active, mobile and strong in these ranges your nervous system feels supported and allows for muscle stretch. Which is why mobility work and strength training go hand in hand.

I’ve been practising yoga for over 30 years, and in the past three years I introduced strength training into my weekly routine to support my regular practice. It has completely changed how my body feels. My practice is now stronger and more controlled, and I’m injury-free in areas that used to be problematic, like my hamstrings and glutes. This has allowed me to safely work on my range of motion again, and enjoy my yoga practice with far more confidence and resilience. Strength training should not replace yoga, and yoga should not replace strength training. Doing both is the key to mobility, stability and longevity.

Mobility + stability = the formula for life

EXPLORING STABILITY & MOBILITY IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence begins in the first row with a full-body warm-up close to the ground, giving your hips, shoulders, and spine plenty of opportunities to gradually warm up and access optimal active range of motion.

The second and third rows introduce two standing flows. The first begins from a low lunge, helping to anchor the hips and create more access to spinal movement. The second-last pose, Runner’s Lunge, can be challenging for those with tight hamstrings. You can stack extra props under your hands, or keep your hands on your hips and gently lean forward until you feel a light stretch along the hamstrings. The second standing flow in row three offers plenty of challenges to build full-body strength and stability.

Finally, the sequence brings you back down to the ground for some cool-down mobility work to help ease out any remaining tension.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device:

• Use your breath to slow down your movement and squeeze every bit of goodness out of each pose. Inhale is indicated with a ‘+’, exhale is a ‘-”.

• Pause and squeeze your working muscles at your end ranges to access your active range of movement and build strength.

• Repeat the two standing flows for two or three rounds per side, stepping right leg forward first then left leg.

• Give yourself at least 5 mins in Savasana to transition back into your day.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru