Stretching Legs for Meditation

Meditation is an ancient practice to quiet the mind and rest the body. Meditations are commonly performed while in a Lotus pose or cross-legged seated position, but according to Yoga Journal, meditation can also take on other forms, such as walking. Some meditations last only minutes, while others can last for several hours. During meditation, if the body is not stretched, especially the legs, the practitioner may feel discomfort, cramping or numbness. Stretching the legs beforehand can help to release this tension and prepare the body for meditation.

Hip Openers

• Tight hips can cause numbness in the legs during meditation.

  When the hips are tight, the legs are not fully able to rest in the meditation posture. This can lead to cramps and numbness in the hip joint, lower back and into the back of the leg during seated periods. To stretch and open the hips before meditating, try yoga poses such as pigeon pose, happy baby pose, or frog pose, which all open around the hip joint to loosen the connecting muscles in the legs and lower back.

Hamstrings

• Forward folds help to lengthen the hamstrings, preparing the legs and back for meditation.

  When the back of the legs are tight, the muscles pull on the connecting tissues of the lower back and knees. This can cause the lower back to feel tight, as well as cause pain in and around the knees. Sitting for long periods of time in meditation can cause this area to tighten further, adding to the discomfort in the back and knees. To lengthen and release the hamstrings, try a few yoga poses such as seated and standing forward fold, half forward fold, or wide angle fold. In all of these poses, the hamstrings are lengthened to release them.

Inner and Outer Thighs

• Stretching the inner and outer thighs can help release tension before meditation.

  The inner and outer thighs can often tug at the muscles of the hips, hamstrings and lower back when they are tight. When you sit for a lengthy amount of time, these muscles tense even more, leading to discomfort and maybe even cramping in the hips or numbness down the legs. Yoga poses such as cobbler's pose, seated twists, and wide angle folds stretch and release these areas.

Quadricep Stretches

• Hero's pose is a kneeling position that stretches the front of the thighs.

  The quadriceps, or front of the thighs, can become tight while sitting in meditation. When this happens, the legs may not relax fully and may go numb or feel tingly. Stretching these muscles will help to release the tension that builds as you sit. To stretch the quadriceps, try hero's pose, bow pose or a low lunge. All of these lengthen the front of the thigh and open into the hip flexor, which releases the tension around these muscles.