10 Ways to Improve Flexibility with Yoga

Q: What materials we use

We work with three fabrics. Three. Not thirty.Brushed Organic Cotton Jersey (220g, made in Portugal) soft, slightly thick, with a peach-skin touch. Our flagship. The Sohang, Yamala and Mahan are knitted from this.Mercerized Organic Cotton Jersey (180g, made in Portugal) lighter, smoother, with a subtle natural sheen. Our new Essence Collection uses this for models like Ankaa, Nashira, Maia.Bamboo Viscose blended with Organic Cotton (made in Turkey) cool, breathable, fluid. Used for the Lilii pants and the Mizar Kimono. Bamboo regrows in three to five years, without replanting and without irrigation.Most pieces include around 8% certified elastane, enough to hold shape over years of wear, without losing breath.We use every meter of yarn we knit. What we don't sew, we save for repairs and samples. Nothing goes to waste.

Q: Three generations of women

Three generations of women.My grandmother Johanna sewed evening dresses by hand. Long, careful, beautiful work, a kind of patience that has all but disappeared.My mother, Cornelia, learned from her. In 2004, she founded Breath of Fire. The very first piece she designed, the Sohang, was created on the floor of her living room in Switzerland, with a yoga teacher friend named Christina. It is still our flagship today.Today, I ( Pernelle) run the brand. I do not redesign what works. I extend it. The Essence Collection, launched in 2025, sits beside the Evergreen line. New silhouettes, same intention.We do not design for trends. We design for the body in practice, for the moment when the breath deepens, when the posture lengthens, when you forget what you are wearing.That is the test of a piece. Forgetting it on. Returning to it.

A forward fold that stops halfway. Hamstrings like cables, a breath held without noticing. Then, one morning, the hands reach a little further. Flexibility comes like that: not by force, but by patience, warmth and breath.

Becoming flexible is not the goal of yoga in itself, but many of us come to the mat to become more supple and to strengthen the body. With time, this often opens the way to a practice centred on breath and inner life. First things first: everyone is free to take from yoga what they need. Here are 10 simple tips to improve your flexibility with yoga.

Practise regularly. The more often you practise, the more flexible you become. Aim for at least a few sessions a week, even short ones, rather than one long session now and then.
Warm up before practising. Warm muscles stretch more easily and with less risk of injury. A few minutes of gentle movement, joint rotations or Sun Salutations are enough.
Hold poses longer. As you become comfortable in a pose, stay a little longer. Muscles release tension slowly, and the deeper tissues need time. This is the principle of Yin Yoga, where postures are held for several minutes.
Use props. Blocks, straps and blankets support the body and help you stay in a pose without strain.
Focus on the breath. Deep, slow breathing relaxes the muscles. Let each exhale take you a few millimetres further, never more.
Prepare each pose. Before a deeper stretch, take a few moments to move gently in different directions and loosen the area you are going to work.
Use good alignment. Correct form protects the joints and lets the stretch go where it should. A teacher can help you find it.
Listen to your body. Respect its limits. A stretch should feel clear but never sharp or painful. If a pose is too difficult, modify it or use props.
Progress gradually. Increase the intensity and duration of your practice over weeks, not days. Flexibility built slowly stays.
Vary the poses. Standing poses, seated poses, twists, backbends and inversions each open different areas of the body and keep your practice alive.

Purple Sohang yoga shorts in organic cotton by Breath of Fire — Free legs, soft organic cotton: the Sohang shorts for dynamic practice. Discover the Sohang shorts

Flexibility of the spine and Kundalini yoga

Some of you know that at Breath of Fire we are deeply committed to Kundalini yoga. A flexible spine supports overall mobility and helps prevent injury. Kundalini yoga works with the energy, or life force, said to rest at the base of the spine, and this energy is traditionally linked to spiritual growth.

In Kundalini yoga, the spine is at the centre of the practice. Almost every class begins with spinal flexes and twists that warm it up, vertebra by vertebra. These movements improve the flexibility and strength of the back, as well as balance and overall mobility.

Some classic Kundalini exercises for the spine:

Cat-Cow. On all fours, arch the back as you inhale, round it as you exhale. It brings mobility to the whole spine and especially to the lower back.
Seated spinal flex. Sitting cross-legged, hands on the shins, flex the spine forward as you inhale and back as you exhale, keeping the head level. Start slowly, then find a steady rhythm.
Cobra (Bhujangasana). Lying on your belly, lift the upper body using the arms and the back muscles. It opens the front of the body and strengthens the back.

Even with these simple exercises, listen to your body and respect its limits. If a movement feels too difficult or uncomfortable, make it smaller or use support. If you have back problems, are pregnant or are recovering from an injury, ask your doctor and a qualified teacher before practising.

To find Kundalini yoga exercises for the spine, you can consult the Kundalini yoga library of teachings: libraryofteachings.com. To understand what a class looks like today, read Kundalini yoga today: what happens in a class.

Black Alya 3/4 capri yoga legging in organic cotton by Breath of Fire — A legging that follows every stretch: the Alya 3/4 in mercerized organic cotton. See the Alya legging

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become more flexible with yoga?

With 3 to 4 sessions a week, most people notice a difference after 4 to 8 weeks. It depends on age, body type and regularity. What matters is consistency, not intensity.

Should I stretch every day?

Gentle daily stretching is fine for most people. Alternate intense sessions with softer ones so the body has time to recover.

What should I wear to work on flexibility?

Clothes that move with you and never pull at the waist or knees: stretchy organic cotton leggings or loose pants. See our women's yoga leggings.

Breathe out. Let go. A little further, tomorrow.

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What you wear matters. The texture against skin. The breath that moves freely. Pieces that soften with the years.

Our clothes are certified organic cotton, knitted and sewn in Portugal in small batches since 2009. Natural fibers. Slow craft. Clothing for those who pay attention to what touches the body.

Near Porto, in Portugal, two small family businesses work side by side for us. The first, in one village, knits our organic cotton from scratch and dyes it to our specifications. The second, in the next village, cuts and sews. We have been visiting both every year since 2009. We know the people by name. We share meals when we visit. They have watched our collections grow alongside their own children.

During the Covid years, when organic cotton and bamboo became briefly impossible to source in Portugal, we found a second family workshop in Turkey — also ethical, also certified, also personal. About 5% of what we make passes through their hands today. The Mizar Kimono and a few Lilac pieces from past collections come from there.

Most yoga brands buy fabric from a market — pre-made rolls, ready to cut. We don't. Every meter of jersey we use is knitted from scratch to our specifications. That is why the Sohang feels the way it does. That is why a five-year-old pair softens instead of wearing thin.

A slower way of making clothes. Sometimes inconvenient. Always worth it.

Sustainability for us is not a marketing department. It is a series of small, sometimes annoying choices we have made since 2009.

We chose certified organic cotton when it was 40% more expensive than conventional or plastic fabrics. We still pay that premium today. We grow without external capital which means we cannot afford to overstock, so we don't. We use every meter of yarn we order, even when it means smaller runs and longer waits. We are 100% self funded and all the money is placed in ethical funds in a local bank.

We focus on evergreen pieces, the Sohang, the Amrit, the Amba instead of seasonal collections. Some of these designs are over a decade old and still our bestsellers. A garment worn for ten years on a body is the most sustainable thing a fashion brand can make.

Our fabrics are dyed with processes gentle enough for a baby's skin. We package in either recycled or biodegradable bags. We ship from our small warehouse in Cully (Switzerland) or our partner in Germany, never overseas.

We don't tick every box. We are not perfect. But these are the choices we make, and we make them visible.

We work with three fabrics. Three. Not thirty.

Brushed Organic Cotton Jersey (220g, made in Portugal) soft, slightly thick, with a peach-skin touch. Our flagship. The Sohang, Yamala and Mahan are knitted from this.

Mercerized Organic Cotton Jersey (180g, made in Portugal) lighter, smoother, with a subtle natural sheen. Our new Essence Collection uses this for models like Ankaa, Nashira, Maia.

Bamboo Viscose blended with Organic Cotton (made in Turkey) cool, breathable, fluid. Used for the Lilii pants and the Mizar Kimono. Bamboo regrows in three to five years, without replanting and without irrigation.

Most pieces include around 8% certified elastane, enough to hold shape over years of wear, without losing breath.

We use every meter of yarn we knit. What we don't sew, we save for repairs and samples. Nothing goes to waste.

Three generations of women.

My grandmother Johanna sewed evening dresses by hand. Long, careful, beautiful work, a kind of patience that has all but disappeared.

My mother, Cornelia, learned from her. In 2004, she founded Breath of Fire. The very first piece she designed, the Sohang, was created on the floor of her living room in Switzerland, with a yoga teacher friend named Christina. It is still our flagship today.

Today, I ( Pernelle) run the brand. I do not redesign what works. I extend it. The Essence Collection, launched in 2025, sits beside the Evergreen line. New silhouettes, same intention.

We do not design for trends. We design for the body in practice, for the moment when the breath deepens, when the posture lengthens, when you forget what you are wearing.

That is the test of a piece. Forgetting it on. Returning to it.

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10 Ways to Improve Flexibility with Yoga