Hip opening yoga sequence series#

After five breaths, ask students to notice what they feel, and then give them the space to observe sensation. It typically takes students five breaths to shift their focus from listening and trying to understand the pose, to actually experiencing the pose. Once youвЂ™ve made instructions for entering and modifying the poses clear, give students a bit of silence to simply be in the pose. Pigeon pose might be a good apex pose, as it requires openness in many of these areas. Bound angle and wide angle forward bend open the groin and adductors. Low lunges and reclining hero pose open the hip flexors. Seated side bends allow students to feel how the muscles of the side trunk and low back connect to the pelvis. Crossed-legged poses, including cow face pose and spinal twists, provide greater access to the abductors and external rotators of the hip. Seated forward bends, including head to knee pose, can emphasize the hamstrings and lower back. For this final part of class, choose a sequence that will stretch muscles all the way around the hip. Ask вЂњWhat would you do differently in this pose if you had no idea whether we would be here for five more breaths or 500 more breaths? What can you do to relax unnecessary struggle in the pose, while still honoring its integrity?вЂќДЄfter a sufficiently challenging standing sequence, students will be eager to explore yoga poses that require less effort and that are more grounded.

Encourage them to find a way to be both steady and comfortable in each pose. To bring the theme of patience to this part of the class, stay in the poses a little bit longer than students are used to. Build up to standing balancing poses (such as tree pose) that use the deep rotator muscles of the hips to anchor the balance. Chair pose and lunge poses, including the warrior poses, are good poses to start with. These poses will create heat in the hips and prepare students for deep opening. For example, in each forward bending movement, guide students to notice how the forward tilt of the pelvis gently pulls the hamstring muscles at the back of the hips.Д¬hoose standing yoga poses that use the hip muscles for strength and steadiness. Invite them to imagine, through sensation, how different muscles connect to the pelvis. Encourage students to feel the movement of the pelvis in these warm-ups. This might include cat/cow on all fours, moving between downward facing dog and childвЂ™s pose, or sun salutations.

Encourage them to be curious about how sensation shifts in a pose.Д¬ontinue the practice with a dynamic warm-up. Explain that the hips have many layers of muscles, and that as one layer relaxes (for example, the gluteus maximus), students may become aware of sensation in a deeper muscle (for example, the piriformis). As students relax in the yoga pose, you can introduce some basic anatomy information about the hips that will encourage the theme of patience. They are collecting information about where they are in the present moment. Let them know that sensation is information. Guide students to only go as far as they comfortably can in the chosen pose. Suggested yoga poses include a standing forward bend with hands on a block for support, reclining pigeon pose (ankle-to-opposite-knee hip stretch) or a reclining one-leg hamstring stretch using a strap.

The pose should be gentle enough to be practiced without much preparation.

You will return to this yoga pose later when you invite students to notice changes in the pose after a patient practice of hip-opening. The suggestions are broad enough to allow you to choose poses that are appropriate for your students.Д«egin with a pose that will serve as a check-in. The intention is to present guidelines for creating a coherent and thoughtful class experience.

Hip opening yoga sequence series#

This is the first of a six-part yoga lesson plan series that will provide both a physical focus to guide your choice of postures, and a practice focus to help students explore an important yoga principle.