Look after your hips! Especially in yoga.
Everyone knows someone who has had a hip ‘issue’ whether it be a labral tear, impingement or a hip replacement. The most famous person I can think of in recent sports history is of course Andy Murray. Can we ever return to our former movement patterns or become pain free after surgery? The jury is out as every case is individual specific.
What we can do as discerning yoga practitioners is understand what we are feeling and become precise in knowing where we are feeling it. Not everyone has this ability. The ability to intercept the body’s signals and interpret them are greater when we’ve been practicing body based practices which are governed by navigating our body’s signals (our nervous system relay) accurately. In simpler terms this means not taking our legs or knees out of their comfort range to the point of pain. Pain is our best signal IF we are blessed with the kind of pain receptors (nociceptors) that are strong enough. It’s true some people simply do not feel pain the way others do and we would think they are the lucky ones. However they are also the kind that can drink 2 litres of wine without getting a headache but what untold damage they are doing to their liver is a whole other chapter. I digress here. Back to yoga.
In this next class (Series 1: Class 2) we are going to recap the flexion and extension of the spine through palpation of the hip flexors and then show how we can also test the range of our ability to externally rotate our femoral heads in the hip sockets. Sounds too much? We will easily feel where our legs can truly move out to the side WITHOUT CHEATING! We will do this both standing and lying and then take this learning into our Yin postures to feel into the safe release of the softer tissues, which in the end is what we call gaining flexibility and mobility.
Notes will be made for those who attend and the class will be accessible for 1 month until the next class which is in the planning for the upper spine release.
I look forward to another exciting class breaking down the myths of Yin Yoga!
External Rotations
Join me at 6pm on Tuesday 26 March for a 90 minute practice followed by Meditation and Q+A.
Last week’s class on Spinal Extensions (aka back bends in Yin Yoga) is still available for 30 days viewing. Book here