Whether an athlete or a desk-jockey, almost all of us keep our hips in a constant state of flexion while running or from sitting all day. Constant flexion in the hip leads to chronically tight hip flexors (front of the hip) and eventually poor posture. Nothing feels as good as when we add a little length and stretch out our tightest muscles—especially in the hip region. Today’s Jock Yoga tutorial will lead us through a simple and effective flow that can be repeated to build strength and endurance while stretching the front of the hip.
Note: The specifics of downward and upward dog, high plank, chaturanga etc. can be found in previous tutorials
Hip Flexor Stretch Flow:
Step 1: Begin in downward dog—an inverted ‘V’ shape.
Step 2: Inhale and move forward to high plank pose.
Step 3: Exhale and lower to chaturanga (low plank pose).
Step 4: Inhale and lift to an upward dog position.
Step 5: Exhale and move back to downward dog.
Step 6: Step your right foot forward between your hands and staying on the ball of the back foot, inhale and come to a high lunge position with your hands in the air. Always be sure that your front knee and foot are pointed straight forward, and that you are lifting through the chest and the fingertips.
Step 7: With your next exhale, bend your back knee so it hovers above the mat.
Step 8: With an inhale, keep the back knee bent and lift higher through your chest and your fingertips—reaching up and over slightly. *Keep in mind to always be lifting through the chest rather than leaning back—leaning back can cause compression in the low back*
Step 9: With your next exhale, you would bring your hands on the mat and step back and lower to chaturanga. Repeat upward and downward dog, then repeat the lunges on the left side. *Suggestion is to repeat five times on each side with an upward and downward dog flow inbetween*
