Some Helpful Stretches:

V-sit

sit with your back flat against a wall. bring both legs as far back to the wall as you can and keep proper posture

and straight legs. while keeping your posture bring you back down toward the floor as your arms reach out in

front of you (not down) as far as possible. feel the stretch. do this first pointing you toes then flexing your feet.

try moving your legs out further as you go on. remember to breathe!

Straight leg stretch

basically, keep your legs straight and feet together. stand, and without bending your knees, reach down as far

as possible. put your weight on your toes (not your heels) this feels a bit unnatural at first, but it is the proper way

to stretch. you can also do this one sitting. sit with proper posture, legs straight out in front of you and

ankles together. reach out with your arms. do this both pointing and flexing your feet

Sideways stretch

Ok, so you’ve probably figured out that I’m making up names for the stretches as I go along. Pretty creative, eh? Anyway, the “sidways stretch” goes like this. Stand in the straight leg stretch position. Now bring your right leg out in front of you (like you’re taking a step forward) about two feet. This doesn’t have to be precise, just as long as you’re close. Stand up, keep your posture back. Now reach down to your right foot, keeping your posture back and your hips in line. Your hips shouldn’t shift to aid you in your stretch. Go down slowly, and if you hips shift, come back up and try again. Go as far down as you can without shifting hips. After doing this for a minute, bend your left leg and continue stretching to your right. Now switch legs.

4 Stretch

Named because it looks like a number 4. Sit down on your butt and put both legs straight out in front of you. Bend your left leg so that your left knee is on the ground, your left foot also on the ground with the flat side touching your right knee, and your right knee is straight with toes pointed. See the 4 that your legs make? Stretch, with proper posture, to your right leg. Reach out with your arms, as far as you can. After a minute, remembering to breathe, of course, flex your right foot and continue reaching out for another minute. Switch legs, and repeat.

standing V-leg stretch

stand up, posture back, with your legs shoulder width apart. you can go a little wider if that's more comfortable for

you, but try to keep it as close to shoulder width as possible. bring your straight arm between and beyond your legs

reach back also reach to your right and left legs. reach down to the center, too. as with the straight leg stretch, keep

your weight over your toes rather than your heels

Half squat

keep your right leg where it is and place your left leg straight out to your left side toes pointed as if you were doing a center splits with your left leg. put your right hand on the ground to the left of your right foot. use you right elbow to push your right knee out. then reverse

The splits

Well, if you want your splits down, shouldn’t you be doing them? . Never be discouraged by how far you are from the splits. Just get as close as you can and hold it there for awhile (a minute). Relax, and repeat a few times. You can also do the splits on the wall (preferably, a doorway, so you can keep your balance). In a few days, after doing multiple stretches, you will notice that you’re getting closer. Rejoice!