As a yoga teacher, one thing I get a lot of requests for in classes is yoga for hips hamstrings, and lower back. They say like attracts like, so it’s no surprise that this is one of the areas I struggle with myself. Hips, hamstrings, lower back, and inner thighs.
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Yoga for hips hamstrings and lower back
One thing to always do is to warm up the area you want to stretch. Especially if you want to go deep. For this yoga for hips hamstrings, and lower back, we’ll start this class with grounding and windshield wipers. This warms up the glutes, hamstrings, hips, and thighs.
For more specific mobilization for the hips and lower back come to sit in a wide-legged position. From here begin a small cat-cow type movement of the pelvis and spine. This rolls the pelvis over the head of the femurs and gets us used to the feeling of the fold in Upavistha Konasana coming from the hip crease. After a few repetitions come forward into that fold and pause in the deep stretch for the hamstrings, thighs and lower back.
In this yoga for hips hamstrings and lower back, I also included Janu Sirsasana, head-to-knee pose. For this pose, I highly suggest using props. There are a few ways to use props, my favorite is to support the bent leg if it doesn’t connect to the floor. Another option is to use blocks to support the head. Especially as we’re going to be deep in the pose for a while.
Do janu sirsasana on both sides. Notice if one side feels different from the other. Is there more tension in one hip or hamstring? Can you fold deeper on one side compared to the other?
To end this yoga for hips hamstrings and lower back class we come back into a wide-legged forward fold. Giving ourselves the opportunity to compare the before and after. After a few breaths, come into seated and ground again taking some to sit in the residue of the deep stretch.
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Questions
- Do you suffer with tight hips, hamstrings or lower back?
- Is there any difference in your body right to left?
- What habit patterns could be causing tightness in your hips?
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