Stretching Into Roomier Pants

Ah, summer: the time for sangria, suntans, and sundresses. And realizing the shorts that fit you last summer are now a teensy bit too tight. I don't know who invented bottoms with buttons and zippers, but if I had to wager a guess, I'd say it was Satan.

This past weekend I experienced the terror of realizing my flowy dresses weren't appropriate for chasing around a bunch of kids at my daughters 6th birthday party. After a few minutes of crying, tossing out expletives, and threatening to lock myself in the bathroom, I succumbed to the last resort of squeezing into some ill-fitting shorts. Now, all of us ladies have a few tricks for getting into our pants (don't tell the men - HIYO!)...and after wiggling into mine, I realized I was actually flowing through a vinyasa sequence. If it's good enough to open my hips, why wouldn't it give me a little more wiggle room in my pants?!

So here it is: 5 yoga poses to make your pants a bit stretchier!

(yoga pants have been worn in the below photos to maintain your innocence)

Child's Pose

This is absolutely the first pose I sink into when putting on a pair of tight bottoms. Some of it has to do with burying my face in the ground to avoid the mirror, but I have found that it helps loosen the top band of my pants (right where that evil button is). Try opening your knees wide and really allowing the top half of your body to sink down as far as it can go.

Downward Facing Dog