By Jeremiah Stone

Do you ever wake up feeling like the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz? If only there was a can of oil to make it all feel right again! Luckily, we have the next best thing to get your body loose and ready to ride. Here are 10 Yoga moves for mountain bikers that can be performed anywhere. No mat, kombucha or “ommmmmm” necessary.

Let’s keep it simple and focus on moves to warm up the muscle groups we use while riding. Get comfy and sink into them, breathing steadily and deeply with about 4 seconds of inhale and a slower exhale. Take at least five breaths in each pose to reap the benefits… or longer if you’re really feeling it. This is YOUR practice, after all!

1. Crescent Pose

Start with a big side bend. Reach high with the arms, grab the left wrist with right hand, and pull the body to the right, feeling the stretch through the ribs, arms, and hip. Repeat on the other side and remember to breathe!

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2. Forward Fold to Twist

Next, fold at the waist and reach for the toes with soft knees (don’t lock them out). After several breaths there, bend the right knee and reach down with the right hand while you turn the body and reach high with your left hand. This adds a tasty twist to the fold and helps get that posterior chain ready to rumble. Repeat on the other side.

3. Low Lunge

Now for some real juicy stretches… Step forward with the right leg and sink down to a lunge. I especially like this as a warm up stretch with my knee pads on. Make sure your front knee doesn’t go further forward than your toes, and keep that knee above the ankle or a little outside. Let the hips drop in deep and… breathe.

4. Runner’s Rider’s Lunge

From the lunge position, send the hips back and straighten the front leg, feeling the hamstring stretch. Find a good spot and drop your chin to feel all kinds of muscles through your back start to stretch. Once again, breathe deep, hang out a while, and don’t forget to do both sides.

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5. Toes Pose to Yogi Squat

The blood should be moving now, and your body should start to feel warmer. Come down on the knees and sit back toward the heels. I like to point my toes down so it stretches my feet at the same time, but you can tuck the toes and see what you like better. Next, rock back to a deep squat to open your hips.

6. Side Lunge

Standing back up, spread the feet wide and shift to the right side for a deep groin stretch. This one often gets neglected so be gentle!

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7. Neck

In a standing position, reach the right hand up and over to the left ear and tilt your head to the right for a neck stretch. Do the right side and then link the fingers of both hands behind your head and look down.

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8. Shoulder and Tricep

For your upper body, cross the right arm to the left and use the left to pull it further to loosen the shoulder. Do both sides and add in a tricep stretch by reaching up and bending the arm down behind your head and pulling the elbow down.

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9. Quad and Chest

Find something to help keep your balance, kick the left foot up and catch it with the right hand behind your butt. Pull the foot to feel the stretch through the quad and hip. Take care of both sides, then stand firm and lean in to that shoulder against something so you can open up your chest muscles.

10. Hips

Finally, cross one leg over the other knee and lean back into a squat. It helps to brace yourself so you don’t fall. Prepare to feel things in the hip that you didn’t know about! It’s a miracle worker for the IT band that gets so tight in cyclists.

What’s Next?

You liked those, huh?! If you’re somewhere comfortable, add in a “child’s pose” and “upward dog”. For the best hip/ IT band stretch, prop up your hip with a pillow in a “pigeon pose” and relax into it for a few minutes. Next check online for some longer sequences or drop into your local studio for a class!