Take a break in nature or in a green space whenever you can and enjoy these exercises: your back will gain flexibility, you will calm your mind and you will feel much better.

When we contemplate a natural landscape, before us opens a mystical perception of the immensity that makes us feel in connection with what surrounds us. In those moments of contemplative placidity, beta brain waves give way to alpha-type waves, typical of states of relaxation.
Nature promotes mindfulness in the present, pacifies our thoughts, puts our mind in order and favors the development of a better self-awareness.
To enhance this experience, I propose some stretches in front of the sea that are a fantastic way to perform a meditation in motion and create the perfect moment to let yourself be carried away by your breath and your sensations.
With this simple sequence of exercises, you can stretch your back from awareness and softness, you will release tensions and you will recharge yourself with energy and vitality.
1. RENEWED ENERGY AND VITALITY
This stretching comes from yoga. It is like a repairing balm for ailments in the lumbar vertebrae and in the lower back area.
- Lie on your stomach, keep your forehead on the floor, with your legs straight, and place your open hands under your shoulders.
- Inhale deeply and, using the strength of your arms, elevate your chest, shoulders and head as much as is comfortable.
- Slightly flex your elbows and breathe from the center of your expanded chest, taking advantage of this posture to fill you with renewed energy and vitality.
- Observe the sensation in your lower back and, depending on how you feel it, soften or intensify the stretch in the next three or four breaths.
- Undo on an exhale.
- Make a pillow with your hands and rest your head on them for a couple of breaths before sitting up.
2. GIVE SPACE TO YOUR LOWER BACK
- Start standing, spine erect, arms relaxed at the sides and chin slightly raised.
- Close your eyes and take three conscious breaths feeling your surroundings.
- Inhale and raise your arms above your head, activate your legs and lengthen your back.
- As you exhale, slowly lower your arms to the floor by flexing from your hips. Loosen your knees a little if you can’t keep them straight.
- Let your head hang with your neck relaxed and observe the pleasant sensation in the lower part of your back.
- To get out, unroll your back, little by little, vertebra by vertebra, until you reach the starting position again.
3. LET THE TIREDNESS OUT OF YOUR INTERIOR
Perform this simple stretch with emphasis on exhaling all tension and fatigue through your mouth. You will notice its powerful restorative effect immediately.
- Spread your feet apart at a comfortable distance, relax your arms at the sides of the trunk and connect with your soft, calm breathing for a few seconds.
- Inhale and raise your arms to the sides of your body until you bring them above your head.
- Keep your arms straight with your palms facing each other and bring your attention to your feet, trying to root your heels on the ground to feel strong and stable in the stretch.
- Perform five full breaths in this way: when inhaling lengthens the spine and activates the legs and, when exhaling, you release all the air through the mouth letting go of stress, worries and fatigue.
- Exit the stretch on an exhale and relax your arms at the sides of your body again.
4. GAIN LATERAL MOBILITY
We almost never stretch laterally, which is why this exercise is so pleasant and comforting.
- Spread your legs apart at a wide distance, relax your shoulders and leave your arms relaxed on the sides of the trunk.
- Activate your leg muscles and feel the pressure of the soles of your feet against the surface you’re stepping on.
- Inhale deeply by bringing the air center of your chest and stretch your spine.
- As you exhale, lean sideways to the left and raise your right arm above your head.
- Take three full, deep breaths, trying to lengthen your right side a little longer with each inhalation. In turn, slide your left hand a little lower on each exhalation.
- Then repeat to the other side.
5. YOU’VE ARRIVED: MEDITATE AND ENJOY
You have released tensions, stretched your back and connected with your conscious and deep breathing. This brief sequence of stretches has prepared your body for the most enriching of poses: meditation.
Dedicate the last minutes of this oceanfront health ritual to keeping quiet, calming your mind and restoring your inner balance.
- Sit cross-legged, your spine upright, and your arms relaxed with your hands on your thighs.
- Close your eyes, tilt your head slightly and relax your shoulders away from your ears.
- While inhaling, lengthen the spine and then, when exhaling, completely empty your lungs of air.
- Hold this position as long as you want. Remain still and enjoy the pleasant feeling of silence and well-being that expands inside you.
CONNECT WITH THE NATURE AROUND YOU
In the city we are exposed to an excess of stimuli that take us away from ourselves and the present moment. Nothing better in these cases than to take refuge in places where calm prevails so that our body rests and renews itself as much as it needs.
In any season of the year, we benefit from exercising outdoors – during holidays, weekend getaways or a midday picnic – because it is a source of physical, mental and emotional balance.
Stretching in front of the sea, as we propose in this article, or taking a walk in a park, are ways to reduce stress and improve mood.
Exposing ourselves to sunlight provides us with vitamin D, essential to assimilate calcium in the bones, and puts us in a good mood. And it is that the contact of the sun on the skin causes us to produce endorphins that make us feel good and even increase sexual desire.
CALM AND REDUCE YOUR STRESS
Spending time in nature, therefore, calms us down and reduces the stress we live with, which has a very positive effect on our immune system.
A study conducted in Japan showed that people who walked in nature had a lower level of cortisol, the stress hormone, a normalized pulse and lower blood pressure than those who walked in the city.
In other words, nature baths, by strengthening our defenses, can well prevent certain common diseases, such as, for example, the common cold.
LEARN TO BREATHE CONSCIOUSLY
Breathing is our first source of energy and how easy it is to connect with the breath in nature!
Silence and mental calm direct our attention inward and, as if by magic, the breath becomes conscious and omnipresent. In addition, in natural environments the air quality is much better than in the city, which increases our physical vitality and helps us restore emotional balance.
FOCUS ON SEEKING MINDFULNESS IN THE PRESENT
When we contemplate a natural landscape, before us opens a mystical perception of the immensity that makes us feel in connection with what surrounds us. In those moments of contemplative placidity, beta brain waves give way to alpha-type waves, typical of states of relaxation.
Nature promotes mindfulness in the present, pacifies our thoughts, puts our mind in order and favors the development of a better self-awareness.
LOOK FOR NATURE IN THE CITY
Now, if you cannot do it in nature, do not worry! seek refuge in a park or open space in your city (or where you are) where there are trees, running water, light and silence.
Take advantage of the natural environment to connect with the earth with bare feet directly on the ground, sand or grass. Savor this wellness ritual from the calm: stay as long as you feel in each pose and flow to the next exercise in an organic and effortless way.