. Crescent Pose - The Crescent Pose is a great way to develop leg strength while improving your hip mobility. To do the Crescent Pose isometric, step one foot forward into a wide stance and bend the front knee while keeping the back leg out straight. Your front heel should stay down while your back heel will be up. Make sure you are really sitting back into your front heel. Lift your hands up and reach them back and overhead as you stay low in the lunge. Keep your front heel down as you sit back into the lunge. If your front heel is coming up, you may want to step your front foot forward a bit more. As you hold the lunge, your back heel will stay up and the back leg will stay straight. Make sure though to drive back through your back heel instead of coming up onto your toe. Feel a nice stretch down the front of the hip and quad of the back leg. Hold then switch to the other side.
2. Warrior II - This Warrior Pose is a great way to work your entire leg and really open up your hips and even your inner thigh. To do the Warrior II Pose, set up in a nice wide lunge stance with one foot forward and one foot back. Turn the back toe out so your feet are perpendicular. Your front foot should be at the instep of your back foot when you turn it out. Sink down into a lunge, keeping the back leg straight and the front heel firmly planted. Try to get your front knee bent to 90 degrees and your quad parallel to the ground. You may find you need to step your front foot forward a bit more to sit comfortably in the lunge and keep the front heel down. The lower you sink in the lunge, the harder the move will be. Do not let your front knee cave inward. Squeeze the glute and keep the knee in line with your hip and your ankle. While in the low lunge, open your arms out at shoulder height. Reach one forward over the front leg and the other back over the back leg. Keep the chest open and do not lean forward. Do not let your arms sink from holding at shoulder height. Keep your weight centered in the lunge. Hold then switch to the other side.
3. Warrior III - This is one of my favorite yoga poses because it really activates the glute while working on mobility AND balance. To do the Warrior III Hold, balance on one foot with the knee slightly bent. Hinge over lifting your back leg toward the wall behind you. Pretend you are driving the foot straight back into the wall behind you. Lean your torso over, keeping your back flat and your core tight. Reach your hands overhead in front of you. Hold in this position. Do not let your back round or your other foot touch down. Keep your arms in line with your body. You want a nice straight line from the bottom of your lifted heel to the end of your finger tips. Make sure you do not lock the standing leg out as you hold. Also make sure your hips don’t open up as you hold. Squeeze your glutes to keep your hips level. Beginners may need to reach back toward their foot instead of out in front of them. Using a wall can also help beginners. Stand with a wall behind you and when you hinge over have the lifted foot lightly touch the wall behind you to help you balance.
4. Extended Triangle Pose (Twisting Extended Triangle Pose) - A great pose to stretch your hamstrings, low back, glutes, calves and hips. It also works on your thoracic mobility. To do the Extended Triangle Pose, step up as if you were going to do the Warrior II pose. Step one foot forward and have the back foot turned out. If your right leg is forward, reach forward and down with the right hand. Place your hand on the ground inside your foot or on a block or your shin if you can’t reach the ground while keeping your front leg straight. Reach the left hand up toward the ceiling, opening your chest up toward your left hand. Hold that pose and relax and breathe.
To do the Twisting Extended Triangle Pose, you will reach the opposite hand toward the ground and twist toward your front leg. So if your right leg is forward, you will reach your left hand down to the ground and your right hand up toward the ceiling. Still make sure to keep your right leg straight and open your chest up toward the ceiling.
5. Glute Bridge Hold - An essential glute activation move that can also open up your hips. Lie on your back on the ground with your feet flat on the ground and knees bent. Bring your feet in so that you can just barely touch them with your fingertips when your arms are down by your side. Then bend your elbows to 90 degrees and drive your hips up. Drive through your heels, upper back and arms. Fully extend your hips and squeeze your glutes as you raise. Brace your abs so that you don’t hyperextend your low back as you lift. You want to feel this move in your glutes and a little in your hamstrings. Hold at the top.
No comments:
Post a Comment