Yoga, a very popular activity especially in recent years, translates as the connection of body, mind and soul with universal consciousness. This may sound too spiritual and distant for many, yet this ancient philosophy can help us in any aspect of our daily lives, whether it be its mental or physical benefits. A short break after the hike

But here the mountains are the main topic. And that's why we're going to show how yoga can help us stretch properly after a day's hike. This way, getting up in the morning with the vision of more hills ahead will be no big deal. Practice this short routine before you crawl into your sleeping bag and you'll see that your legs and shoulders will ache a little less than you're used to in the morning.

Yoga can be practiced anytime, anywhere. We don't need anything and nature is the best place to practice. Find a quiet, flat place where you can lie down for a few minutes and where nothing and no one will disturb you. If you have a mat, like the one for camping, you can use it as your mat. But grass will do as well. There's nothing wrong with yoga if it's in tune with your body. The breath is our greatest teacher. You mustn't push yourself into poses and go through pain. On the contrary, with the breath and longer time spent in the pose, we can relax and stretch the shortened muscles without any pain. Let's do it! Position of the Mountain (Urdhva Tandasana)

Take a deep breath, raise your hands next to your ears and try to grow tall. Touch the sky. Look gently up at your palms and the beautiful mountains around you. Pull your shoulders and shoulder blades down. Stay there for a few deep breaths in and out, become a mountain and stretch your whole body.

This is a good pose to start any yoga practice. It will help us tune into the breath, warm up the upper body and find stability in the feet. Stretches especially the shoulders, chest and upper back.

Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Get on all fours, place your palms under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Push into your palms and lift your knees off the ground to the roof position. The head is relaxed between the shoulders. Try to keep your spine straight if your body won't allow it - keep your knees bent or lift your heels off the ground. Stay in the position for five long breaths in and out.

Downward facing dog is one of the basic poses and is likely to be encountered in any yoga class. In fact, it is part of the Sun Salutation routine. It straightens the entire spine, stretches the back of the legs and hamstrings. These are the areas that are often stressed and shortened during trekking. That's why it's a good idea to stretch them after each hike.

Wide Stance Forward Bend (Prasarita padottanasana)

Spread your legs apart, toes turned out diagonally to the sides. Take a deep breath and pull in your spine, slowly bending forward with an exhale. The bend comes from the hips and the top of the head is pulled towards the ground. If the back of your legs are pulling too much, bend your knees a little. Keep your hands free, if you can reach the floor, put your palms between your feet. Another variation of this pose is pictured - interlace your fingers behind your back and let your hands drop over your head to the ground. This will stretch your shoulder joints and open up your chest. With each exhale, try to relax and drop a little closer to the ground. Stay there for at least 5 breaths.

This position not only stretches the whole body, but also gives you a sense of calm. Looking at the world backwards gives us courage, confidence and a new perspective.

Standing Pigeon (Tada Kapotasana)

Find your balance, stand on your right foot, place your left ankle on your right knee, which you gently bend. Open your upper and therefore left knee to the side and gently push it towards the ground. Try to "sit up" as if there was a chair behind you. Bring your palms together in front of your chest and find one point with your eyes to keep your balance. Stay in this position for a few breaths, then return to the Mountain position and repeat the same variation on the other leg.

Pigeon Pose opens the hip area while stretching the psoas, a muscle that stretches from the outside of the thigh to the lower back and connects the torso and legs. Sitting too often, as well as excessive walking, shortens this muscle in many people. With this position, we can return it to its original length.

Deep Squat (Malasana)

Start in the Hora position, stand at the width of your mat, pointing your toes diagonally outwards. Exhaling, slowly lower yourself down. Bring your palms together in front of your heart and push your knees out with your elbows. Pull yourself up from the pelvis by the crown of your head, as if someone is pulling on your ears. Enjoy the position for 5 long breaths.

The pose increases flexibility as well as mobility in the hips. The pelvis and hips open up. Performing the pose regularly will relax this area beautifully and avoid hip pain. It also massages the abdominal organs and helps against constipation.

Interestingly, often young children sit like this without realizing that they are doing a yoga position. For some, Malasana is a toy even in adulthood, but some have lost the ability to sit all the way down over time. The necessary flexibility and mobility in the body has been lost. Let's find it again.

Lunge + front thigh stretch

We are all probably familiar with the lunge position, it is primarily used to stretch the hips, groin and front of the quadriceps.

Place one knee on the ground, use the other leg to go into lunge. Try to get your lunge leg as far forward as possible. The other leg is resting on the knee and the toe is extended, with the foot up towards the sky. Both feet are more or less in the same plane. Keep your back straight. You can rest your hands on the knee of the leg in the lunge or on the ground.

Gently push your pelvis forward so that you are pulled by the thigh muscle of the leg that is supported by the knee on the mat. If you want to achieve a more intense stretch, try grabbing the ankle of your back leg and pulling it gently towards your body. For this variation, I recommend putting something soft under your back knee. Breathe through the position, whichever option you chose.

Relaxation (Shavasana)

When I ask in a yoga class which is the most popular pose, I very often get the answer "Shavasana", or corpse pose. It is used to allow the effects of the asanas to reverberate, to cool the body down and to regenerate after the practice. At the same time, our mind allows itself to completely shut down for a few moments, to stop and enjoy the delicious feeling of peace and calm that comes after yoga - in the body as well as in the mind.

We can relax anytime, not just after a yoga class. If we have just finished a few hours of hiking, it is the best ending. Maybe the variant in the photo - with tips to the sky. If we can put our feet up against a wall, in nature, perhaps against a tree, even better - we allow the body to completely relax and regenerate. The change in blood flow in the lower limbs helps to relieve strain and swelling. So the next day we will feel like we are walking on a blanket.

Regeneration - to keep the body fit for the next day

A simple self-massage of the soles of the feet can be part of the regeneration. On the soles of the feet (and also on the hands) our whole body is shown, there are specific points that belong to a particular place on the body or organ in the body. By massaging each point, we release the part of the body that belongs to that particular point. Take your time and slowly apply pressure to all the points in the foot - from the heel to the toes.

Next time you're on your mountain adventure, try to remember this article and give yourself a few minutes to stretch and recover. Your body will thank you !

Have a great day and hurry up to the mountains!