Tag: legs up wall pose

Legs up the wall pose is a yoga asana that is a simple inversion. It is a great pose to relieve fatigue and help tired legs.

Yoga Therapy for Pickleball Players: Injury Prevention & Nervous System Support
Pickleball is fun, social and friendly! The rules are simple and the game is easy for beginners to learn, but can develop into a fast-paced, competitive game.
USA Pickleball
Injury prevention, mobility & smarter recovery
Pickleball is fast, addictive, and surprisingly demanding on the body.
Quick lateral movements. Repetitive shoulder swings. Sudden stops. Rotational torque.
It’s no surprise many players begin noticing:
- Shoulder tightness or irritation
- Tennis elbow symptoms
- Low back stiffness
- Hip restriction
- Knee strain
Yoga for pickleball players isn’t about passive stretching. It’s about building joint stability, mobility, and recovery capacity so you can stay strong on the court — and keep playing long-term.
Why pickleball players need more than stretching
Most players focus on playing more.
Few focus on recovery and structural balance.
Pickleball creates repetitive patterns:
- Dominant-side rotation
- Forward shoulder positioning
- Wrist and elbow strain
- Sudden directional changes
Therapeutic yoga helps counterbalance these patterns by:
- Improving shoulder and scapular stability
- Supporting elbow and wrist resilience
- Restoring hip mobility for lateral movement
- Strengthening deep core for rotational control
- Supporting nervous system recovery after play
This is about longevity — not just flexibility.
Common pickleball aches – how yoga helps
1. Shoulder Tightness & Rotator Strain
Overhead swings and repetitive paddle motion overload the front of the shoulder.
Focus on:
- Thoracic spine mobility
- Scapular stabilization
- Posterior shoulder strength
Helpful movements:
Thread the Needle
Low cobra (gentle spinal extension)
Supported plank variations
2. Tennis Elbow & Wrist Irritation
Repetitive gripping stresses forearm tendons.
Support with:
- Wrist mobility drills
- Forearm strengthening
- Gentle nerve-glide style movements
Avoid aggressive stretching when inflamed.
3. Hip Tightness & Lateral Instability
Pickleball demands quick side-to-side movement.
Without hip mobility and glute strength, knees and low back compensate.
Helpful movements:
- Low lunge variations
- Chair pose for controlled strength
- Side-lying leg lifts
- Controlled single-leg balance work
This builds stability for faster reaction time.
A simple pre-play yoga warm-up (5–8 minutes)
Before you step onto the court:
1. Cat–Cow (spinal mobility)
2. Dynamic low lunges (hip opening)
3. Shoulder circles + scapular push-ups
4. Light chair pose pulses
5. Single-leg balance with gentle rotation
This prepares joints and activates stabilizers.
A post-play recovery sequence (8–10 minutes)
After play, focus on down-regulation and tissue release:
- Supine twist
- Figure-four stretch
- Supported forward fold
- Gentle chest opener
- 3–5 minutes slow diaphragmatic breathing
This supports tissue recovery and helps your nervous system shift out of high alert mode.
Better recovery time builds resilience.
Great yoga poses for pickleball
Here are some poses for you to try. Never stretch beyond your limits. You may notice an element of slight discomfort but you should not feel pain. Yoga is a balance of effort and ease, you should always be able to breathe comfortably in the poses.
1. Cow Cat
Releases tension in your spine and hips. Great after a long pickleball game.
2. Down Dog
Stretches the back of your legs and back, strengthens your arms, shoulders and legs. Is weight bearing.
3. Cobra
Stretches your psoas, and hip flexors, strengthens your back and glutes.
4. Childs Pose
A counter pose after cobra, this stretches out your lower back. Again super nice after a pickleball game if you feel it in your back.
5. Side Plank
Is a weight bearing pose. Strengthens your arms, shoulders and core & helps with your balance.
6. Twisted Triangle
is also weight bearing. Works on your balance, strengthens your legs and core, opens up your chest and shoulders.
7. Tree Pose
This is great for balance, your core strength and leg strength & working on sharpening your focus.
8. Pigeon Pose
This is a great hip opener.
9. Bridge
Strengthens your glutes, back and core
10. Supine Twist
Releases tension in your lower back.
11. Legs up the Wall
A gentle inversion and a stretch for your back and legs, good for tired feet and legs after a game.
The difference between a yoga class and yoga therapy
A general yoga class can be beneficial for strength and flexibility.
Yoga therapy is different.
It isn’t prescriptive or formula-based. It doesn’t assume every shoulder or knee needs the same “fix.”
Instead, yoga therapy is responsive.
Sessions are shaped around how your body is presenting that day — your current tension patterns, fatigue levels, recovery capacity, and overall load from sport and life.
For pickleball players, that might mean:
- Supporting recovery after a tournament weekend
- A personalized yoga practice for resilience/recovery
- Creating space in overworked shoulders
- Building steadiness after repeated lateral strain
- Helping your system settle after high-adrenaline play
It’s less about correcting and more about restoring balance.
Rather than pushing harder, the work is to help your body reorganize, adapt, and stay resilient over time.
If you’re experiencing recurring irritation or simply want to support longevity on the court, a personalized approach can make all the difference.
Find out more about my Personalized Yoga Therapy services here.
Stay strong on the court
Pickleball should feel energizing — not depleting.
With intentional mobility work, targeted strength, and intelligent recovery, you can:
- Improve reaction time
- Reduce injury risk
- Recover faster
- Play longer
Movement longevity is possible — when your training supports your body, not just your game.
Why not book a yoga therapy session with me
Frequently asked questions: Yoga for Pickleball Players
Is yoga good for pickleball players?
Yes. Yoga can improve mobility, balance, and recovery — all essential for pickleball performance. A therapeutic approach also helps reduce repetitive strain in shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.
Can yoga help prevent pickleball injuries?
Yoga supports injury prevention by improving joint stability, muscular balance, and body awareness. It also encourages better recovery between games, which reduces overload patterns that lead to irritation.
What are the most common pickleball injuries yoga can support?
Common issues include:
Shoulder tightness or rotator strain
Tennis elbow
Wrist irritation
Hip stiffness
Knee discomfort
A targeted yoga practice helps restore mobility while supporting stability in these areas
Should I do yoga before or after pickleball?
Both can be helpful.
Before play, focus on dynamic mobility and activation.
After play, choose slower stretches and breathing practices to support recovery and nervous system regulation.
Is yoga therapy different from regular yoga for athletes?
Yes. While regular yoga classes offer general benefits, yoga therapy is individualized and responsive. It adapts to how your body is functioning and recovering, rather than following a fixed sequence.
March 8, 2025
Yoga for Perimenopause: Nervous System Support to Ease Anxiety, Sleep & Hormonal Symptoms
Perimenopause
The transition years before menopause — can bring shifts in sleep, mood, energy, stress response, and physical comfort as hormone levels change. Yoga, when practiced with intention, supports the nervous system, helping the body become steadier, calmer, and more resilient during this transition.
This isn’t about flexibility or physical perfection. It’s about practical movement, breath awareness, and nervous system regulation.
What is perimenopause?
Perimenopause usually begins in your 40s (but can start earlier) and lasts until menopause — marked by the end of monthly periods. During this time, estrogen production changes and can affect many body systems, including sleep, mood, metabolism, and bone health.
Symptoms commonly reported include:
- Hot flashes & night sweats
- Sleep disturbance
- Mood swings, irritability
- Anxiety or low mood
- Brain fog or memory changes
- Fatigue
- Reduced libido
- Discomfort during sex
- Joint stiffness or aches
- Weight fluctuations
Each woman’s experience is unique.
How yoga supports the nervous system in perimenopause
Yoga helps by moving your system toward nervous-system regulation: it can reduce stress reactivity, improve breath coherence, and support calming responses. Practices that focus on steady breath and mindful movement help you shift out of fight-or-flight and into a more regulated state.
This supports sleep, reduces tension, and can make symptoms feel more manageable.

Managing stress and sleep changes during perimenopause begins with understanding how your nervous system regulates itself — learn more in my foundational guide to yoga therapy for nervous system regulation

Benefits You May Notice
Stress & Emotional Regulation
Gentle yoga practices with intentional breathing help calm the sympathetic nervous system and support emotional balance.
Better Sleep
Slow, restful sequences before bed signal safety to the nervous system and may improve sleep quality.
Physical Comfort & Mobility
Targeted movement supports circulation, eases muscle tension, and encourages joint ease without strain.
Support for Hot Flashes & Fatigue
Reclined and restorative positions can ease nervous system reactivity and support cardiovascular ease.
Yoga practices that support perimenopause
Below are some grounding practices organized by benefit and how they support your system:
1. Forward bends are good for anxiety, irritability and insomnia
Forward bends can help reduce anxiety, irritability, and tension. Folding forward and shutting out all your external stimuli will soothe your mind and reduce stress. When your nervous system signals that all is well, your adrenal glands and sympathetic nervous system can stop working so hard.
Standing forward bend
Have a generous bend in your knees and fold from your hips. Let your head your upper body hang loose like a rag doll.
Seated forward bend
Bend your knees if you need to, fold from your hips, try with a pillow on your lap to support your upper body as it folds forward. Let your head hang, maybe build up the pillows to rest your forehead.
2. Backbends help with fatigue, supported backbends help with hot flashes
Gentle-supported backbends encourage your chest and the heart to open and increase your energy. It also improves respiration and circulation and helps lift spirits. Any tension in your body can make hot flashes worse. Use bolsters, blankets, or blocks to support your entire body. Reclined poses with proper support should cool and ease hot flashes.
Reclined bound angle pose
This is one of the best therapeutic yoga poses for peri-menopause. It can be tremendously beneficial with hot flashes and fatigue.
Press the soles of your feet press together. Let your legs open like a butterfly. Put pillows on the outside of your knees to support your legs as they open. Recline and use as many pillows you need to support your back and head. Your head can be level with your back there is no need for a big arch in your back in this back bend. Make it feel good. Hang here for 20 breaths or so.
Supported Bridge pose
Bridge pose can be amazing for your pelvic floor muscles. Whilst in the pose you can place a block between your knees and squeeze to activate inner thigh muscles. Also do your Kegels whilst your hips are raised. Link below for how to guide. For a supported backbend place a block under your sacrum (flat bit of your pelvis).
Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. Kegel exercises also are known as pelvic floor muscle training.
The Mayo Clinic
3. Inversions help with depression & brain fog
Everything you do with your body can affect your thoughts and attitude. Sometimes something as subtle as a shift in posture can lighten a dark mood. Inversions can help improve a depressed mood. In effect, they are turning everything upside down. Of course being upside down also increases blood to the brain.
Legs up a wall
Start by sitting sideways to the wall with your hip pressed against the wall. Lie back and swing the legs up. Use a pillow under your head if needed. This should feel comfortable.
Triangle pose
Triangle pose is great for preventing osteoporosis, because it is weight-bearing. stimulates your abdominal organs and calms your nervous system. It also helps reduce anxiety & can help with digestive issues.
Modifications for Comfort
Use blankets, bolsters, blocks, or cushions for support
Breathe slowly: long inhales, gentle exhales
Move at your nervous system’s pace — not past it
Try positive affirmations
These allow you to challenge any negative thoughts. If you do it every day, can start to retrain the way you think. You can remove the negative self-talk and increase your self-esteem. Pick something that resonates with you.
The morning is a time to create an intention for the day.
- I am strong, capable & kind.
- I have the power to change my story.
- I choose to respond to this challenge with grace and positivity.
- I will not worry about tomorrow. I will enjoy today.
At night is a more reflective time. Perhaps a time for gratitude
- I am grateful for my supportive family & friends.
- I am grateful for the growth I experienced today.
Try mudras
Mudra means seal mark or gesture in Sanskrit.
Mudras are traditionally practiced to intensify the effects of your yoga or meditation practice and enhance focus. They can also be a, practical addition to your meditation by adding focus to your hands.
The Yoni Mudra is dedicated to the female Hindu goddess Shakti. Yoni means womb. The practice of Yoni Mudra is associated with strength and power.
You place your thumbs together and pointed upwards, index fingers together pointed downwards, press the other fingers together. Sit comfortably and follow your breath.
As you breathe slowly, feel the movement beneath your hands. The shape offers gentle structure, which can help the nervous system settle and organize.
Used this way, the mudra supports diaphragmatic breathing, interoceptive awareness, and a felt sense of stability — honoring tradition while remaining practical and embodied.
What happens after menopause?
If your periods have stopped for a year or more you are described as being post-menopausal.
In post-menopause, your menopause symptoms may ease or stop altogether, but some women continue to have symptoms for longer.
Because your body is producing less estrogen there can be an increased risk of some health conditions like;
- cardiovascular (heart) disease
- osteoporosis (weak bones)
- urinary tract infections (UTIs)
So it’s really important to make sure you have a good, healthy diet and lifestyle, you exercise and keep going to your regular screenings.
When to seek personalized support
Yoga supports regulation and comfort but isn’t a replacement for medical care. If symptoms feel overwhelming or persistent, pairing yoga with professional guidance and lifestyle support provides the strongest foundation.
Ready for personalized yoga therapy?
If you want support tailored to your history, nervous system reactivity, and goals — not a generic sequence — explore our yoga therapy sessions designed for perimenopause support.
March 5, 2025