Cabin seats narrow your stance. Hips tighten. Walks feel short and stiff.
Take ten. Unroll where you are. Breathe out longer than you breathe in. Reset your stride.

Promise: a compact sequence to ease hip flexors, glutes, and lower back after long flights. No props needed. Works in a hotel room, living space, or quiet airport corner.

How to use this guide

Move slowly. Keep your breath light. Aim for smooth exhales. If any shape pinches the knee or lower back, ease out and shorten the range.

Warm-up (2 minutes)

• Knee hugs, standing
  Hold a wall or chair. Draw one knee to chest for 3–4 breaths. Switch sides.
  Cue: keep ribs down; feel the glute of the standing leg engage.

• Ankles + marching
  Roll each ankle 10 circles. Then slow-march in place for 30 seconds, lifting knees just below hip height.

Flow (5 minutes)

• Low lunge to half split
  From a lunge, back knee down.

  • Inhale: shift hips forward, chest tall.

  • Exhale: glide hips back, front leg long, toes up.
    Repeat 6–8 cycles per side.
    Cue: keep the front knee pointing straight; move, don’t force.

• Figure-four chair
  Stand. Cross right ankle over left knee. Sit back as if to a chair.
  Hold 5–8 breaths. Swap sides.
  Cue: long spine; think “sit back and widen” rather than “bend down.”

• Prone quad release
  Lie on your front. Loop a strap/towel around right foot, bend the knee, draw heel toward seat.
  Hold 6–8 breaths. Swap sides.
  Cue: keep both hip points heavy; tiny tuck to spare the lower back.

Ground (2 minutes)

• 90/90 hip switch
  Sit with both knees bent at 90°.
  Fold over the front shin for 4–6 breaths.
  Twist toward the back hip for 4–6 breaths.
  Switch sides.
  Cue: keep it gentle; the goal is ease, not depth.

• Glute bridge, slow reps
  Feet hip-width. Press through heels, lift hips for 2 counts, lower for 2.
  Do 8–10 reps.
  Cue: feel the back of the hips drive the lift; neck long.

Breathe (1 minute)

• Four–six breathing
  Inhale 4 through the nose. Exhale 6 through the nose.
  Take 10 cycles.
  Cue: soften the jaw; let the exhale lengthen without effort.

Troubleshooting

• Pins and needles? Add a folded towel under the back knee in lunges.

• Tight hip flexors? Shorten the lunge; focus on tall posture and a gentle posterior tilt.

• Knee pressure in figure-four? Flex the lifted foot and keep the sit-back shallow.

Proof notes

• Why these moves: long sitting shortens hip flexors and loads the glutes and lower back. Alternating lunge–hamstring shapes, external rotation, and light posterior-chain work restores range without strain.

• Breath: longer exhales support down-regulation, easing guarding and letting tissue glide.

• Practicality: needs only floor space; works on carpet, tile, or a thin travel mat.

Pack-light tip

A thin travel mat or towel adds grip on hotel floors and keeps knees happier in lunges. It folds flat, wipes clean, and slides into your carry-on.

Get the Jet-Lag Reset for a full 10-minute plan, or shop travel mats if you want a stable base when you land.