This routine has kept my piriformis syndrome at bay for several years. To be effective you’ll have to dedicate about 40 minutes per day in the beginning. Once your symptoms have improved, a twenty minute daily routine should keep the pain away for good.
My suggestions for stretching are:
-Warm up for a few minutes if you are doing this in the morning. A short walk will do, or do several repetitions of the Sun Salutation. Often its not necessary to warm up in the evening.
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-Don’t strain, just settle into a light stretch.
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-Count your relaxed breaths. Before you start the routine, figure out how many relaxed, natural breaths you take in one minute. For me its about 9.
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-Hold each pose from 1-2 minutes. Count your breaths instead of looking at a clock. For me, its 9-18 breaths in each pose. Breath in and out of your nose, this may help you relax.
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-Once through this series may only take 10-15 minutes. Repeat it 2 or 3 times for maximum effect.
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-Stretch every day, even twice a day for the first couple of weeks.
I usually do the sequence as shown by following the arrows. Wherever I do a one-sided pose, just complete the pose to the other direction before continuing on to the next pose.
