Anatomy 101 - 360 hips

THE FEEL GOOD FACTOR
Hip openers definitely have a feel good factor. They release physical and emotional tension, relieve stress and anxiety, aid digestion, and enable freer mobility to everyday activities. Incorporating hip openers into your practice releases the muscles of the hips and help you with backbends, forward bends and inversions.

HOW DO THEY WORK?
Hip openers are one of the most requested poses in a yoga class, we’re all familiar with the effect they have on us physically and mentally, but what exactly is happening in the hips to produce this effect? One of the hip flexor muscles called the psoas muscle, which connect the upper and lower body, is one of the most important muscles for mobility and is linked to the ‘fight or flight’ response. Chronically tight psoas muscles, from prolonged periods of sitting, continuously triggers the stress hormone cortisol. When there is no fight or flight required the cortisol stays in our system and becomes surplus – keeping us in a permanent state of unrest, and leaves you feeling stressed, anxious and exhausted. Hip openers release this physical hip tension, and as a result stimulates the ‘rest, restore and digest’ response. Which is why you feel a lovely freedom of movement, along with a sense of calm, after incorporating some hip openers into your yoga practice.

BALANCING MISALIGNMENTS
The hip joint is a ball and socket joint which gives us a full 360 range of motion, along with internal rotation and external rotation. With such a range of motion comes a very complicated system of muscles to facilitate mobility and stability of the joint. When there is tightness in any of these muscles it can cause back and/or hip pain – for example tight hamstrings pull on the sit bones, tilting the pelvis back and cause the lower back to loose its natural lumbar curve and compress the vertebra of the spine. The hamstrings flex the knees and so shorten in extended periods of sitting, which is one of the main cause of lower back pain.

We all have a favoured side which can cause misalignment in the pelvis and spine. Misalignments pull on the opposing muscle – this also can cause back and/or hip pain. Hip openers help realign your posture and address these imbalances. Releasing the muscles of the hips and reestablishing the curve of the lower back are particularly good for those who suffer from mild to moderate back pain.

EXPLORING HIP OPENERS IN YOUR PRACTICE
The muscles of the hips are thick multi-layered muscles and need time and patience to release. Slow down and recognise when the muscles have reached their full range of motion. At first pull back 10 percent from your maximum and allow the muscle to get used to the idea of stretching. The sequence builds up to the ultimate hip opener Eka Pada Rajakapotasana/One Legged King Pigeon. Pigeon works on many of the hip muscles – it stretches the hip flexors on the back leg, and the inner groin and outer hip of the front bent leg. They help to regulate hormones and massage all the muscles of the upper body.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Move slowly through the above sequence and take extra time when you encounter tight areas. Take some deep breaths while the muscle gently warm up.

Print out the below tips, along with the sequence, and melt into your hip openers:

• From Adho Mukha Svanasana, place your right foot behind your left hand and your right knee behind your right hand.

• Right foot flexed, working towards your right shin being parallel to the top of the mat.

• Place your hands either side of your hips, walk your left leg out behind you in line with your left hip as you lower your hips down.

• Draw your left hip forward and your right hip back, let the weight of your upper body help to gently lower your hips down.

• Stay here, or for a stronger stretch, exhale, fold forward, interlock your hands and place your head on your hands, gaze down.

• ‘Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation’ or PNM contract and release to get a greater release similar to the stretch reflex.

• Squeeze your outer hip muscles your glute to open the hip out.

• Contract your muscles, draw your front knee back and your back knee forward. Lift your pelvic floor, draw navel to spine, hold for 6 seconds.

• Exhale and release for 30 seconds.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Eka Pada Koundinyasana - One Legged Side Crow

HOME PRACTICE TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS
While writing an article for Wellfest on demystifying Crow, it reminded me how much I love to play around with arm balances in my home practice. Most weeks my practice centers around sequencing classes – ready to teach and write up the accompanying blog post for my students. This week I’m enjoying being light on classes, which has given me the opportunity to go deep into my own practice and really explore what poses I love, and what poses challenge me. There is nothing better than starting the day with a home practice that is exactly what you need for that particular day. This week I’m working on my arm balances. They tick both boxes – they are poses that I love and find challenging at the same time. Arm balances build focus, heat, strength and stamina. They are great for building self confidence when you manage to lift those toes for the first time; and teach you humility if you’re having a day when the feet just won’t budge off the ground. Your practice is not about ticking off poses as you ‘master’ them, it’s about revisiting the poses that sit well with you to find comfort in them, and practicing poses that challenge you physically and emotionally in order to tackle life off the mat too.

THE BENEFITS OF EKA PADA KOUNDINYASANA/ONE LEGGED SIDE CROW
If you’ve read a few of my previous sequence articles you’ll have noticed I’m all about gut health. Eka Pada Koundinyasana/One Legged Side Crow is also a twist which aids healthy digestion, detoxification and optimal elimination – and with a happy gut comes a happy immune system. They also ease stress, tension and anxiety. If you are feeling wound up, wind yourself up in a twist – the compression and massages the organs, and on releasing the twist you feel a loosening of the physical and emotional tension as the fresh oxygenated blood flows back into all the organs, and triggers the rest and restore parasympathetic nervous system.

EXPLORING EKA PADA KOUNDINYASANA/ONE LEGGED SIDE CROW IN YOUR PRACTICE
As you flow through your practice pay particular attention to your twists. Feel into the muscles that work to twist the body as they strengthen and stretch. The arm balances start with Tripod Headstand, if it is not part of your practice, skip it and go straight to Parsva Bakasana/Side Crow. If you’re finding it hard to lift up try placing your right hip on your right elbow, and your right knee on your left elbow – so that the body weight is being distributed on both elbows rather than just on your left elbow. Unlike our feet, the wrists were not made to carry full body weight, so be kind to them – rest in Balasana/Child’s Pose between Parsva Bakasana/Side Crow and Eka Pada Koundinyasana/One Legged Side Crow if your wrists need a break.

ALIGNMENT CUES
The sequence is designed to warm up the core, strengthen the shoulders and wake up the hip flexors. Move slowly through the sequence and let the body warm up and be ready to play with your peak poses.

Print out the below tips, along with the sequence, and give arm balances a go with fresh eyes:

• From Malasana, with feet together, twist to your right, place your hands on the ground to the right of your feet a little wider than shoulder width, fingers facing away from the legs

• Bend your elbows and place your left elbow above your right knee.

• Strongly draw your navel towards your spine, round your upper back. Lean to your right side, shift your weight into your hands.

• Exhale, lift your feet stretch your right leg out to your left parallel to the ground, reach your left leg out behind you and press out through balls of both feet, gaze slightly forward.

Some days I’m not at my most elegant in my arm balances but it’s important to remember it’s how they make your feel inside that matters.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Camatkarasana - Wild Thing

WHAT'S YOUR HAPPY POSE
Last week I delved deep into Virabhadrasana III/Warrior III and found peace with my limitations, and with all the complicated anatomical nuances of the pose. This week I feel justified to pick one of my happy poses and build a whole sequence around it. Camatkarasana/Wild Thing is the ultimate heart opening pose. The pose grows from your toes grounding down; radiates through a beautiful full body arch; manifests into the pinnacle of the pose – your heart centre; and continues down through the tip of your crown and your fingertips. With all that happening it definitely deserves the title of one of my happy pose. When teaching this sequence I noticed such happy elated vibes in the class when we all came out of the pose – which is often not the most elegant transition!

THE BENEFITS OF CAMATKARASANA/WILD THING
From an anatomical point of view it opens the chest, relieves shoulder tension and encourages full body core activation to lift your hips up. We all carry tension in our shoulders, spend most of our day with our upper back curled, and our hips flexed in a seated position – opening up into Camatkarasana/Wild Thing, savouring the stretch across the chest, shoulders and hips feels like heaven. As a backbend it is energising, aids digestion, eases stress, anxiety, tension, and boosts the immune system.  When you arch from your toes to the tip of your crown you are in a full body backbend, your heart is above your head which takes you into an unexpected inversion too with all its additional benefits.

EXPLORING CAMATKARASANA/WILD THING IN YOUR PRACTICE
When coming into the pose try not to spend too much time in Vasisthasana/Side Plank. They are both arm balancing poses and, although a strong joint, the wrist can fatigue very quickly. Follow the arch of the pose all the way from your toes, through your strong legs, your hips, your chest opening, and descend into the tip of your crown and your fingertips. Be aware of all your limbs and include them into the pose. Try to come out of the pose as consciously as you entered into it. Exhale and draw your navel towards your spine, curl in on yourself and gently flip back to Vasisthasana/Side Plank. It can be nice to take a few breathes in Downward Dog to take a bit of weight out of the wrists before you transfer over to the second side.

ALIGNMENT CUES
The above sequence will melt tight chests, warm up your spine and stretch your hip flexors in preparation for an invigorating Camatkarasana/Wild Thing.

Print out the below tips, along with the sequence, and enjoy the happy pose:

• From Vasisthasana, step your left foot behind your right leg with a bent knee.

• Ground into your right foot to lift your hips up and arch your upper back.

• Rotate your left palm to face the front of the mat, sweep your arm up and over your ear.

• Arch through your whole back, lengthen your neck and softly reach your head back.

• Expand through the collarbones to open through your heart centre, gaze up.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru