We all love getting lost in a good sewing session, but hours at the machine can leave your body feeling stiff and sore. That’s where Sewing Yoga comes in! Developed by certified yoga instructor and passionate sewist Kat Robinson, Sewing Yoga combines gentle stretches with deep breathing to relieve tension and keep you feeling your best.
As an avid machine embroiderer herself, Kat knows firsthand the toll that long sewing sessions can take. She’s shared her expertise at the American Sewing Guild Conference and has been featured in top sewing and yoga magazines. Now, she’s here to guide you through a quick and easy routine to help you unwind after a day at the machine.
This stretchy, mindful practice is designed for even the most novice beginner and those with physical limitations as well as the more advanced practitioner. Before you get started, remember these guidelines:
- Before starting this or any exercise program, it is important to check with your doctor.
- Work within your limits. If something feels wrong, it probably is. Never force or strain.
- Drink lots of water, because dehydration exacerbates the hurt and decreases flexibility.
- Make sure you have good lighting and an ergonomically correct sewing room.
- Set a timer for every hour and get up and move around. Consider locating your ironing board and cutting table so that you have to get up and move to use them.
Proper Breathing is Essential
Try this practice for fast relief. Many times while doing something that requires high concentration or is a bit tedious, we hold our breath. This is a form of stress on the body and causes our muscles to tighten more. To make sure you are getting plenty of oxygen to your body, follow these simple steps.
Sit with a straight spine and your knees right over your ankles in your sewing chair or sit in a cross-legged position on the floor. This is the starting position. Bringing your hands to your waist (not your hips) take a deep inhalation through your nose; as you inhale, carry the breath deeply into your body until you feel your waist expand. Empty your lungs completely as you exhale through your nose, feeling your waist collapse. Do this for five to ten breaths.
Wring Out the Stress
You collect a lot of stress in your back from sitting slumped over a machine.
From the starting position, bring your right hand to your left knee. Inhale deeply through your nose as you bring your left hand straight up; as you exhale, turn your palm away to your left, place it as close to the middle of your back as possible, and look over your left shoulder . Hold for four breaths and repeat on the other side.
Stretch Your Shoulders
Sit tall, extend both arms at shoulder level, and make fists with your palms facing out.
Take a deep inhalation and as you exhale bring your right arm across your chest to the left. Inhale and bring your left fist up and over the right fist with the palm facing out. Keep resistance in your arms as you breathe. Hold for four breaths and repeat on the other side.
Become a Sewing Warrior
Use the warrior II pose to stretch your legs . From a standing position, take a large step back with your right foot. Align the arch of your right foot with the heel of your left foot. Take a deep breath, and as you exhale, bend your front knee.
Make sure that your knee does not go past your ankle. Inhale, bring your arms up to shoulder level, and turn your head to look over your front hand as shown. Keep a strong stretch in the arms and make sure the little toe side of the back foot stays pressing into the floor. Hold for four to six breaths and repeat on the other side.
Relax
At the end of a sewing session, take a few minutes to relax in corpse pose.
Lie down flat on your back (if this is hard for you, place a pillow under your knees). Bring your hands with palms facing up about 12–18″ out from your body. Bring your feet a little greater than hip-width apart and let your feet fall open. And just relax. -AHHHHH!
Strike a Prayer Pose
You can also stretch your wrists if you do a lot of handsewing, embellishing, knitting, or crocheting by placing your hands in prayer pose.
Now you are relaxed, rested, and ready to sew!
