Experience the amazing benefits of stretching. Stretches help you relax. Stretches reduce stress and anxiety, improve your posture and flexibility, boost your internal health, and release the stress-induced tension and muscle aches caused by a sedentary lifestyle.

Created by certified Pilates instructor, personal trainer and modern dancer Annette Fletcher, this streamlined series of passive and active stretches blends the most effective and enjoyable stretch movements from Pilates, Yoga and other athletic, dance and holistic disciplines.

Stretching rebalances your body, expands your range of motion, decreases your risk of injury and relieves pain. Stretching is a vital component of any fitness program: If you are not accustomed to exercising regularly, this stretch program will jump-start your way toward a more active lifestyle.

Better posture and increased flexibility will give you a stronger, more confident carriage that will make you look taller and leaner, and lend added grace and ease to your everyday movement.

If you are a dancer or athlete, the stretch sequences offered in this program will help elongate your muscles, increase your range of motion, help open your chest and hips, enhance spinal flexibility, and improve muscle control. One or two 10-minute stretch segments can serve as a perfect cool down after your fitness or dance practice, while the "Intense Stretch" section focusing on a deeper, more challenging stretch, can serve as a great tool for muscle conditioning -- either on its own or combined with your regular workout or practice.

The program is easy-to-follow and does not require any special equipment. In the two "Head-to-Toe" sections (which can be combined into a 20-minute stretching session) stretches are performed standing, lying on a mat, or leaning against a wall. In the "Sedentary Lifestyle Relief" section, you will learn how to stretch even while sitting in a chair. The "Sports Stretch" section provides appropriate stretches for a range of fitness activities.

You can easily do any of these 10-minute segments alone, or combined with other workouts, depending how much time you have available.

1. Upper Body, Back & Hips
2. Hips & Legs
3. Sedentary Lifestyle Relief
4. Sports Stretch
5. Intense Stretch