LONG, SLOW & DEEP | Honey Hips & Lower Back
Happy Friday, my friends,
This week, our yin session is a good ol’ hip sequence with a few juicy poses for your lower back.
Hips and lower back would be the winning requests I get most often in my classes, rivalled only perhaps by requests for neck and shoulders.
Throughout this sequence, we will go deep on the 360° of the hips and lower back with a special focus on the outer and inner thighs. In our last session together, we experimented with ‘hip opening’ (not one of my favourite terms) from the viewpoint of hip flexion and hip extension (think, frontal splits or Hanumanasa). If this sounds intriguing and you’d like to learn more, head to my session for the SACRAL CHAKRA | Feeling into Feminine: A Practice for Hamstrings and Hanuman.
But tonight, we’ll abandon the splits and explore some traditional sensations we usually think of when seeking ‘hip opening’ (I will address these little parentheses in a future blog post about hip anatomy - Subscribe Here if you wish to receive it). We’ll survey the lateral hips (Glute Med, TFL, ITB and Vastus Lateralis), the Psoas (or the deep core, which deeply influences your low back), the Quadratus Lumborum and the family of Adductors that make up your inner thighs (of which, there are five).
Other topics we cover throughout this session include: 1) building resilience against the temptation to fidget, and how your nervous system is both adaptive and reactive, 2) observing the presence of stubbornness at the expense of openness and how you impede on your ability to practice peace, and 3) learning the subtle art of slowing down in a world that wants you to constantly speed up.
My teachings are built on the fundamental trust that all things are interconnected. The way you do one thing is the way you do everything. Therefore, I encourage an open mind and curious heart. Your anatomy is interwoven with the texture of your psyche, and your psyche encases your spirituality. Allow this practice to be an open reflection and opportunity for self-enquiry rather than the pursuit of right or wrong.
PROPS FOR PRACTICE:
Bolster
2 x Blocks
Eye Pillow (optional)
ASANA PLAN:
Feel free to add any postures you like, as they serve your personal practice. Be sure to hold each posture for approximately 5 minutes, allowing for a 1-2 minute rebound in between.
Seated Meditation + Pranayama - Extended Exhalations
Wide-Legged Child’s Pose
Side-Lying Bananasana #1 (soften: keep a block under your head and relax your arms; deepen: extend both arms overhead so the bottom arm cradles your head and the top arm extends above you; deeper still: prayer position with your hands, bend at the elbows and tuck your hands behind your head)
Abdominal Massage (deepen: after a few minutes, you can bend your knees and slowly sway your feet side to side, massaging the lower abdominals into the bolster)
Side-Lying Bananasana #2
Supported Bridge
Reclined Butterfly (optional: thoracic variation using a horizontal bolster behind your heart or one block under the shoulder blades and another block under your head)
Frog Pose (alternative: Wide-Legged Child’s Pose, extended the knees further than last time, perhaps)
Pigeon Pose
Savasana (personal note: I like to take a brief spinal twist before settling into stillness)
AUDIO RECORDING: (Live)
Below is the link to my online studio to access this session and more.
All of my recordings are offered for free in exchange for a donation of your choosing.
RECOMMENDED PLAYLIST:
I hope you enjoy this personal practice, and please reach out with any questions, feedback or personal insights - I sincerely enjoy interacting with my yoga community ♥
Thank you for sharing your practice with me.
Namaste xo
