This is “commercial break yoga” – short, dedicated spurts of movement and breathing…! No excuses. Breathe mindfully. Focus on each movement. Do in this order. Listen to your body – stretch to resistance but never pain. Smile. Repeat.

#1: COW / CAT (or spinal waves)

Promotes fluidity in the spine. Sync movement with breath cycles.
1. Hands stacked under shoulders with fingers spread wide. Knees directly under hips.
2. With slow inhale, drive chest toward “window” of your arms and lift tailbone to ceiling.
3. With slow exhale, move to lift the spine upward, pushing the floor away. Relax back of neck and tuck tailbone.
4. Move with your breath – always inhaling into cow and exhaling into the cat.
5. Take your time, making observations about hips, shoulders, side body, neck and of course, spine.

#2: DOWN DOG (try modification with knees bent)
 
Strengthens shoulders, arms, and wrists. Lengthens tight hamstrings.
1. From cat / cow (knees directly below hips; hands a few inches in front of shoulders), press down evenly through the four corners of both hands, spread fingers evenly.
2. Tuck toes, on an exhale, lift knees away from ground, keeping them slightly bent (or very bent – see pic above and #7 below.)
3. Gently lift sit bones toward ceiling.
4. Slowly lengthen legs, moving into your hips.
5. Move your awareness to your shoulders – firm shoulder blades and broaden them away from each other.
6. Notice which side or part of body feels tighter and breathe into that side.
7. MODIFICATION: Keep knees bent to release low back and if you have particularly tight hamstrings.
8. Hold for at least 10 breaths and work up to holding for 2 minutes.

#3: LATERAL HIP REACH

Gets at hard to stretch “TFL” at front of hip and top of IT band as well as quad. Opens side body; promotes bigger breaths.
1. Kneel and put on left foot back behind you and right foot flat on floor in lunge position.
2. Keep left hip directly over left knee (90 degree angle).
3. CRITICAL — tuck the tailbone / pelvis under (like a scolded dog) – this action will help you feel a stronger stretch to the top of the thigh.
4. Put right hand on right hip or thigh, and reach left arm overhead – away from the leg that is being stretched.
5. Hold 3 breaths; release and switch sides.

#5: THREAD THE NEEDLE

Superb outer hip opener.
1. Lay onto back, with knees bent and thighs parallel and hip-distance apart.
2. Cross left ankle over right thigh, making sure that anklebone clears thigh. Actively flex front foot by pulling toes back (this is so the center of foot will line up with your kneecap rather than curving into a sickle shape, which can stress the ligaments of the ankle and knee.)
3. Maintaining this alignment, pull right knee in toward chest, thread left arm through the triangle between legs and interlace fingers around the back of right leg or right shin (not back of knee). If you can hold in front of your shin without lifting your shoulders off the floor or rounding the upper back, do so; otherwise, keep hands clasped around hamstring or use a strap.(Goal is to avoid creating tension in the neck and shoulders as you open the hips, so choose a position that keeps your upper body relaxed.)
4.  As you draw right leg in (making sure to aim it toward right shoulder and not the center of chest), simultaneously press your left knee away from you.
5. Hold for 10 breaths or longer; switch sides.

#6: BRIDGE

A beginning backbend that strengthens legs and hips, massages the spine, and opens the heart. Counterbalances compressed chest.
1. Lie on back with knees bent, feet flat, parallel to each other and hip distance apart, 10 to 12 inches from pelvis. Ankles directly under knees.
2. Rest hands near hips with palms up, helping to open front of shoulders and collarbones.
3. Rock gently to roll and slip shoulder blades under, tucking toward hips, creating space between ears and shoulders.
4. Push up through feet to bring hips off floor.
5. Clasp hands underneath helping to ground shoulders and roll open chest. Clasped hands continue to push toward ankles while engaging legs; continue to open chest in backbend.
6. Do NOT tuck chin, but rather keep throat open and bring front ribs toward face.
7. Hold for five breaths. Release to floor and rest. Repeat 2 times.

#7: STRAIGHT LEG RECLINED TWIST

Break the lateral plane of everything we do. Regain some range of motion in the spine and “detox” or “squeeze + soak” the organs. Also a nice outer hip release.
1. Lie flat on back. Arms out to side.
2. Bring left leg straight out to left side. Stack right leg on top of left leg, keeping both straight.
3. Play with how ‘high’ you bring the feet toward the left hand. (The higher the legs go, the higher the twist goes up your spine. Adjust as is comfortable for you and where you feel you need a deeper stretch. Proceed with caution and LISTEN to your body – it will be different on any given day.)
4. Look over to right hand. Try to keep right shoulder grounded into floor/mat.
5. Relax and release into the twist – let go for up to five breaths. Switch sides.

There you have it! Keep it up – regularity is key. Make time – you’ll be glad you did.

Here’s an easy way to see if – or how much – your hips are tight, imbalanced or both.  Below is a quick self-assessment. It is not scientific but a great low-tech way to do some self analysis on your hips. You may have a known – or worse – an unknown issue with your hips or even low back. Sports or repetitive activities contribute to some muscles being over-used, others under-used causing imbalance, weakness, tightness. This type of assessment can help prevent overuse injury, giving you a “window” into how your body is aligned and where a problem area could be developing.

Do this periodically – monthly – and compare results. Use a camera to capture current position and then compare pics month to month to assess change. With an increase in your flexibility program – through classes and your own home practice - this winter, you will very likely see positive changes.  Here are some past Tune blog post “Go To Poses” that target the hips and hip flexors.

TAKE THE TEST

1] Lay flat on the floor, legs outstretched, heels planted on ground. RELAX your feet, let toes ‘flop’ to side. Lift your head and look down at your feet.

2] What are you seeing? Is one foot not rolling out as far as the other? In the picture below, the left foot position compared to the right would indicate that the left side – hip, low back, leg, IT band, etc. is more congested, tighter, bound than the right side.

3] Over time, and with dedicated yoga practice targeting the hips, hip flexors, IT bands, hamstrings and quads to gain BOTH FLEXIBILITY + STRENGTH, the feet would ideally come to a place of more equal position. This picture below shows progress:

And, this final pic below shows nice alignment and close to equal outward rotation of both feet – which is what you are striving for.
So keep up (or start doing) your yoga, continue the analysis, the focus, the discipline of studying, knowing, staying in TUNE with your body for greater performance, more fluid movement, less injury and general overall well-being. There are so many yoga postures to aid in this hip alignment path. Come to class or an upcoming HIP WORKSHOP in January to learn more.

Clear some space in the chest, in the hips, in the psoas (huh? – see below), and even the mind…(envision yourself on the beach like this guy…)
photo credit: Yoga Journal

- Standing with feet together, reach hands back and clasp behind back.  Feel the exaggerated and wonderfully full opening of the chest and front line, shoulders rolled back and down.
- Draw clasped knuckles down toward ground to exaggerate chest opening.
- Step right foot back behind you about three or four feet. Right ankle stays up off the floor, toes pointing forward.
- Toes of the left foot also pointing forward.
- Slowly drop into a lunge, bending both knees.
- Bring your tailbone “south” pointing down to engage the muscles in the low back and stabilize the spine. Engage the belly/core.
- KEY:  ensure the knee of the front/left leg stays directly over the left ankle in 90 degrees and tracks straight toward the middle toes and not the big toe.
THIS ALIGNMENT IS IMPERATIVE.
- Deepen the effect by going into a lower lunge, dropping the hips further toward the ground.
- Hold for five steady, calm and confident breaths.
- Then step right foot forward to meet the left.
- Keep hands clasped behind you.
- One breath cycle then move to other side – stepping right foot back.

POSE BENEFITS

• Opens the chest – brings awareness to front line to break bad postural habits
• Counterbalances compression in chest and optimizes diaphragmatic breathing
• Lunge position opens psoas of side where leg is back
• Strengthens legs and hip flexors while also relying on strong core

THE PSOAS – WHAT IS IT? WHERE IS IT?
A universal stabilizer that runs from the thoracic and lumbar spine (originates at points from T12-L5) to the top of the femur. It is the only muscle in the body that runs front and back and top (above waist) to bottom (below waist.) It is a thick, hard to stretch muscle that needs a lot of love and attention…!
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CYCLISTS, RUNNERS, TRIATHLETES, ANYONE?
It is imperative to open the psoas to release the back. A tight psoas comes from activity AND inactivity (e.g. a lot of sitting.) A tight psoas will impair your ability to achieve the right position on the bike (back will hunch and hip flexors will be tight and impair fluid pedal stroke) and impact running gait or other fluid moves in sports such as golf and skiing. The back will spasm and give in before the psoas will. Stretching psoas and quad actually helps you bend forward easier and better! The psoas also impacts steady, relaxed and optimized breathing. Lunge poses like this one are critical for these reasons.

GOOD RELATED ARTICLE
http://rhvillegas.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/the-psoas-is-involved-in-most-back-pain/

Not many poses have the “juicy-ness” of this phenomenal hip opener (hip flexors, hip rotators) and also nicely gets at the IT band and glutes. But it MUST be done right – with *your* customized needs in mind and with safe alignment (see bottom of this post). [This is a big hip and muscle opener so be careful - never do a yoga pose to a sharp shooting pain or intense or burning pain.] 

There are so many great variations to this classic pose (many but not all shown here), and so many that are specific to the needs of athletes. 

Read on and then enjoy your “flight”…

THREAD THE NEEDLE
[Previous post on this version here]

With flat back on ground, and knees bent, bring left ankle onto right knee. Lift right, bent leg and bring right knee toward chest. “Thread” left hand between legs and clasp hands at right knee – or place your left hand on left knee and right hand on right knee. Hold and as you exhale continue to bring the right knee closer to chest to open and release the hips (particularly the left hip) and legs. Hold for minimum of one to two minutes and switch sides. When: Great pre and post ride/run/workout/training session pose.

AT THE WALL
The thread the needle can also be done with one leg against the wall, as shown here by Tiffany Cruikshank in a recent Yoga Journal article.

HALF PIGEON
(with rolled blanket prop ala Margaret Burns Vap in this shot below)

Roll a blanket into a “tootsie roll” and place mid-way down mat. From all fours (bent knees on floor, hands on floor under shoulders) or from Downward Dog, bring right knee up behind right hand, getting entire right shin out in front of blanket roll. Drop your left knee to the floor behind you and ensure your left front thigh is hitting the blanket roll (this ensure alignment of the hips). The right knees should be slightly outside your hip (pointing towards the right corner or right side of mat) and right foot very flexed (see safety points bottom of post relative to knee alignment) pointing towards left hip.  Keep left (straight) leg active and aligned by pointing those toes. Gently press off the hands to lift the upper body if you keep your shoulders over your hips. Stay here for 5-10 long, steady breaths. If accessible to you and you want to come forward with your upper body, do not compress your spine. Come onto forearms (align the forearms) or stomach (with arms stretched out) – forehead supported on a block, your hands made into fists or the floor. Stay here for 10 breaths and build up to one or more minutes.

KING PIGEON
Very few people can do the FULL pose  – demonstrated here. It is beautiful to see when done right and with ease and peace (which VERY few athletes have in their hips…!).

DOUBLE PIGEON / FIRELOG POSE

This is a great option too, as it gets into the hips a bit differently and both at same time. It gets its name as the shins look like firelogs stacked in a fireplace.

MODIFICATIONS
Take the cues from the full pigeon pose and use another kind of “prop” (other than the blanket or block described above) to help you attain a different, equally effective release. A bed, a kitchen counter, the back of a couch/chair, a staircase…get creative. Lots of options shown here.  Just remember, that the cues and alignment (front foot flexed, hips aligned and square, pivot from hips, not spine) apply here. Be careful as you explore one of these options.
   

AN IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT KNEE SAFETY IN HIP OPENERS
Thanks to this post by Dr. Robin Armstrong. 
(Copied and pasted also below.)

Remember the children’s song: With the leg bone connected to the knee bone and the knee bone connected to the thigh bone. This could be a yoga anthem worth chanting before class. Our bodies function as a whole, and no one action goes without a counter action, reaction, or complementary action in another part of our anatomy. This is especially important to remember when it comes to hip openers, which can unfortunately lead to the non-existent ‘knee opener’ which is yoga code for a painful and long recovery from an injury to our knee.

The knee joint is actually composed of two joints: The femur bone of the thigh as it meets the tibia bone of the shin, and the patella bone of the knee cap as it lies on top of the femur. The patella is held by the tendon of the quadriceps, the main muscle that acts to extend / straighten the knee. If we contract our quadriceps, our knee cap rises.

The femur and tibia are connected by four major ligaments: Two cruciate ligaments (anterior and posterior) and two collateral ligaments (medial and lateral). These ligaments help prevent excessive motion at the knee. There is another important structure at the knee that is unfortunately one of the more common sights of injury in a yoga class – the meniscus. There are two menisci, medial and lateral (inner and outer), which are thin pieces of cartilage that act as spacers in between the femur and tibia, evenly distributing weight at the joint. The meniscus becomes prone to tearing when the knee is in full flexion combined with twisting.

This brings us to the biomechanics of the knee. The main action of the knee is flexion to extension. It is known as a hinge joint, meaning it hinges open like a door. Try to twist open a door and it rips off its hinges, try to twist at the knee and you leave it vulnerable to injury. There is a slight amount of tibial rotation on the femur between 0 degrees and 20 degrees of flexion, known as the screw home mechanism. This action is so the bones glide on one another as we unlock the knee from extension….

Twisting at the knee is not something we generally try to do in yoga. When it does come into play, however, is in hip openers. If our bodies meet resistance at one joint (limited rotation at the hip), the motion is transferred to the next joint (the knee). Except, we know the knee does not twist. There are no poses in yoga that ‘open’ the knee. You may feel tension at the back of the knee in forward folds (stretching the hamstrings which attach on either side of the knee), maybe some slight tension at the outside of the knee with poses that lengthen the iliotibial band (a band of connective tissue that runs from the knee to the hip), but in hip openers we should never feel sensation in the knee.

In order to achieve hip opening a few things need to occur. First, our femur bone must rotate in the acetabulum (hip socket). This is an aspect that is sometimes overlooked. We all have different shapes to our bones. Some of us have shapes that allow a large freedom of movement in the hips, and others among us will be limited by our bony architecture. No amount of stretching can change the shape of our bones.

The other action that needs to occur is lengthening of our hip rotator muscles (the piriformis and friends, and the gluteus group). The irony of our western lifestyle is that we spend our days sitting in a chair, tightening our hips ,so that we have come to a yoga class to sit and open our hips. This is an aspect we can change with patience, acceptance, and grace. A lot of emotions can be stirred up when we start to open our hips.

Let’s take a closer look at two popular hip openers.

Thread the Needle Pose. This is a safe and effective hip opener that is accessible to all yogis from beginners to advanced. It also takes out gravity, decreasing the risk of injuring our knees. Have a strap near by as you lie on your back, knees bent feet flat on the floor. Pick up your right leg and cross your ankle just above your left knee on your thigh. Remember the other connecting joint – the ankle. When we dorsi flex the foot (toes towards shin) this places the ankle in neutral and aids alignment at the knee. Allow your right thigh to spiral out, inner thigh moving towards you, outer thigh moving away. If you feel sensations at the knee, back off and allow your body to naturally soften into the pose.

Using your strap or your hands, wrap around the under side of your right thigh, pulling it towards you. Your head should comfortably rest on the mat. Continue to rotate your hip outwards. This is an excellent prep for other hip openers as you are always in control of how much opening is actually happening.

Pigeon Pose / Eka Pada Rajakapotasana. In this advanced hip opener, we sit with one leg extended behind us, and the front leg folded in front of us, knee slightly wider than our same side hip. Our bony anatomy comes into play here. Our front hip needs to deeply externally rotate which means our femur bone must be a certain shape that it can achieve 45 degrees or more of rotation in the acetabulum. If this rotation is limited by either our bony or muscular anatomy, the motion starts to transfer to the knee.

Just as we did above, dorsi flex your foot to neutralize the ankle and align the knee. Start with your foot close to your pelvis. This placement requires less opening at the hip. As your hips open, you can move the foot further away from your pelvis so that your shin is moving towards perpendicular to the mat. This might take a few lifetimes of practice, so be patient. You should not feel any sensation in your knees. If you do, back off, or slowly remove yourself from the pose. If you have a history of knee pain, or very tight hips, Pigeon pose is not for you. Stick with thread the needle pose.

Yoga can be a wonderful way to strengthen and support our knees. Knowing a little more about our anatomy, and the connections between our different parts can allow us to safely move deeper into our yoga practice with confidence.