Seated external rotator stretch

Dancers love this stretch because it targets the muscles that outwardly rotate the hips and thighs — your gluteus medius and gluteus minimus (muscles that get used a lot if you’re a ballet dancer). As an added bonus, you get a nice stretch in your core muscles, too.
To do this stretch, follow these steps:

1. Sit on the floor with your right leg straight in front of you and your left foot crossed over your right thigh.
2. As you inhale, pull your left knee toward your chest with your right hand and sit up very straight as if a string was attached to the top of your head, lengthening your spine.
3. As you exhale, look over your left shoulder, rotating your spine and tilting your pelvis back .
4. Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds, deepening the stretch with every breath. Feel this stretch in your buttocks and pay close attention to the position of your pelvis. Imagine a string attached to your tailbone pulling your tailbone toward the back wall.
5. Switch sides and repeat the same stretch on your other leg.

A few do’s and don’ts for this stretch:

• Do bring your knee close to your chest before you twist.
• Do look over your shoulder so you lengthen your neck muscles as well.
• Do sit up straight to lengthen your spine before you rotate.
• Don’t tuck your pelvis under or round your back.