THE calf muscles (gastronemius and soleus) are often tight in people who do a lot of running, walking, cycling or weight training – and of course too much sitting doesn’t help either. 

Reduced ankle mobility also causes the lower legs to tighten, and the reason is if you’re not able to flex the foot efficiently it puts more pressure on the calf muscles.  

And finally, tight hips can affect your calves so work on loosening your hips and feel the benefits everywhere. 

As well as feeling more comfortable by releasing any tight areas in your legs, you may find that foot pain is relieved. Conditions such as plantar fasciitis are exacerbated due to tightness in the calves. 

Flexibility in the calf is also essential for all running sports – and finally remember a tight muscle is a weak muscle, so when the the muscles are more flexible you’re less likely to injure yourself. 

Luckily, the stretches and strengthening work that you do during a yoga class can help with tight legs, but remember if you run or walk daily, you will need to ensure that you’re stretching daily too. 

Most well-run yoga classes will focus on loosening all parts of the body, but these poses in particular will help:

Eye of the needle (Sucirandhrasana)

Adapt it by gently massaging your calf massages and rotate your ankles. Place a folded blanket or low yoga block under the head if the shoulders or neck are tight. 

Reclining hand-to-big-toe (Supta Padangusthasana)

If you can’t reach your foot, place a belt around the fleshy part of your foot instead. The leg doesn’t have to be straight to get the benefits from this pose. 

Seated forward fold (Paschimottanasana) 

Intensify the pose by using a belt, or placing a block at the end of the feet or holding feet with hands and focusing on pulling the feet in. Soften the knees if the hamstring and/or back are tight. 

Squat (Malasana) 

This will help stretch and tone the whole body and in particular the hips will benefit – which in turn will help the calves. Adapt it by placing the heels on a rolled yoga mat if the heels don’t touch the floor. 

Low lunge (Anjaneyasana)

From a low lunge, lift the front heel from the floor and gently bounce. Be mindful of how the knees feel when you do and take is slowly.

Standing forward bend (Uttanasana)

Adapt it by lifting the toes from the floor and placing the hands underneath. Bend the knees if the hamstrings or back are tight.

Kneeling (Vajrasana)

From high kneeling, tuck the toes under and push hips back to heels. Place a folded mat or cushion on your heels if it feels too intense.

Downdog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) 

Adapt it by peddling the feet, lifting and lowering both feet, walking the feet closer to the hands and resting one foot on the other – ensuring that the hips stay square. The knees can stay soft if this is too intense. 

Warrior 1 (Virabhadrasana 1)

Adapt it by placing the hands on a wall. This will help with the hip’s alignment and give you something to push against. 

Monkey (Hanumanasana) 

The yoga version of splits can be practiced with a block on either side of the leg which will ensure that the back is kept straight. 

Standing forward bend (Uttanasana) 

Adapt it by placing the toes on a rolled or folded blanket.

By Natasha Harding