Full-Body Forward Folds: 47-Min Deep Flexibility Stretch for BJJ

Okay it doesn't have to touch your knees if you can't get there I just want you to feel your back open up take a breath here and the next exhale just let that go nice and flat back on the mat inhale here exhale into it. Okay one inhale here exhale out do that one more time inhale exhale head to knees and just keep doing that so stay where you are on the inhale and exhale back just keep flowing with your breath there and if you get in your head to knees looks like this as long as you can feel a bit of a stretch and your back moving that's fine okay so just keep working through that with your own breath and wherever you get to is fine. Okay now let your back nice and straight on the mat lift your right foot so that it's like you're trying to stand on the ceiling with that right foot okay and if your knees bent here that's fine but what we're looking for is a bit of a stretch in the hamstring whilst our back is flat on the mat okay and wherever you are okay if you're like this with a bent knee and you get a hamstring stretch you're doing the right thing so don't stress about how you need to look here just think about how you look and the stretch you've got on and wherever you are maybe just bring your big toe a little higher so it's almost like you're trying to bring your big toe above your forehead take a couple more breaths here and now bend that right knee hands over the right knee now same with the left foot so just bring the left foot up towards the ceiling you can keep a bend in your knee if you want a couple of breaths just bringing that stretch on so you're lifting at the front of your hip to get that foot up nice and high and just bring in a bit of a hamstring stretch on so we're not pulling on it ourselves without you know we're not yanking into the stretch or anything yet we're just kind of letting that create its own stretch and if you're super tight in here as long as you can feel a stretch in the hamstring that's fine it's gonna be a gradual thing and it doesn't need to be a super intense stretch every time and at any point if you focus on that stretch too much and you start to hold your breath or strain make sure you get back to that slow breath through your nose good one more inhale exhale bend both knees now interlace your fingers over both knees and just small circles with your knees on the mat good small slow circles you can go clockwise or counterclockwise almost like you're massaging your back on the mat whatever side or whatever direction you're going just switch direction nice and slow good okay grab your jujitsu belt now wherever that is and just fold that in half and then wrap over the balls of your right foot and stretch your right foot up to the ceiling all right whatever bend you've got on your leg as long as you can feel a hamstring stretch that's enough okay and start to breathe here I've still got my left foot off the floor but if that's not comfortable for you can bring your left foot down I'm just going to keep mine up for now and just start to breathe here good now just create a bit more slack in the belt now okay so you're almost holding the belt close to where your knee is and I just want you to start to curl your heel down towards the floor and create a little bit of resistance in your belt just you can feel your hamstring if you touch your hamstring it'll feel like it's working okay it's not relaxed here just feel that and then stretch back up and just do that a few times if you want to add some breath exhale as you bend your leg inhale as you go up so we're just doing a bit of a hamstring curl and it's almost the same as if you're going for an arm bar and someone goes to stack you you kind of curl your your heels down it's the same kind of motion just a few of them so exhale down inhale up exhale down inhale up one more of them nice and slow good now switch sides so left foot in the belt bend the right knee find that stretch for a few breaths again wherever that stretch is for you good now lower your hand a bit take an inhale exhale bring that left heel down okay but you're activating that hamstring that's the goal here and on the way up so it's almost like if you're doing bicep curls at the gym you want to feel your bicep working same thing here you want to feel your hamstring working like a bicep here good not a crazy amount just enough to know it's doing its job and then last one even slower and back up good last thing on our back before we start to move just move your belt to the side so we do the same as we did before so knees together to begin with now straighten that right leg up until you find a hamstring stretch so I'm not telling you to straighten it perfectly I'm just telling you to straighten it to get that stretch and now take a deep breath in and exhale just slide that big toe a little higher maybe inhale here exhale back inhale relax down exhale up inhale maybe hold here exhale lower inhale here exhale up inhale if you can hold exhale lower and bend that right knee we'll do the same on the left side so find a little bit of a stretch whatever that looks like for you take an inhale exhale bring that left higher hold on the inhale exhale lower inhale hold exhale higher inhale hold exhale lower inhale exhale higher one more inhale and back inhale and up and then bend both knees good okay so we've moved around a little bit and we've kind of stretched our hamstrings we've got them working so now meet me in that forward fold stood up again at the top of your mat as well if you're working with a mat and just nice and chill just sigh into that fold across your arms let the top of your head dangle down so don't look at the screen for a second just let the top of your head dangle down so you're looking through your legs I'm feeling a nice stretch good and then bend your knees a little more and just stand yourself up into a good posture and we'll just start to move through a bit of a flow then we get into some more stretches okay but the main thing is we've kind of prepared our hamstrings here into a into a bit of a fold so hopefully you might go a little deeper but see how you do so start off take a sigh hands by your sides and inhale hands nice and wide open your chest out hands together above you look up exhale hands down to your chest come into that fold again so hinge at the hips bend the knees good now hands on top of your shins half lift drive the top of your head forwards exhale fold now inhale bend your knees stand up again nice and wide hands point up exhale hands come down to fold half lift inhale exhale fold let's do that one more time so inhale bend your knees nice one hand stand up exhale straight into a fold hinge at the hips bend the knees half lift now this time as you exhale hands come down to plank step the right foot back and then correct your feet and stand up nice and tall on an inhale hands point up to the ceiling exhale stay here one more inhale exhale come out that lunge hands down to plank left foot back to plank breathe here exhale come down to your knees and sit back into the stretched out turtle position and take two breaths come back to all fours and keep lowering your hips down bend at the elbows keep breathing your hands where they are but actually your back so shoulders up lift the back up down add some breath inhale up exhale down now inhale up to plank so from all fours to plank if you need to exhale back to dog breathe in dog and just walk your heels out one at a time feel how your hamstrings are in dog today feel who your chest is as well can you open your chest out more open your shoulders that feels nice and strong grabbing the mat with your hands nice good now come to a kind of still positioning dog we keep your knees bent maybe lift your hips a little more feel your hamstrings here good keep breathing remember this position in dog come back in a second take an inhale exhale right foot comes forward between your hands then on inhale come back up to that high lunge so keep that back heel up breathe in here inhale exhale bring your weight forwards over the front knee into a fold and breathe in that fold next time you inhale bend the knees wide hand stand yourself up exhale hands to press straight into that fold again hinging at the hips half lift on the inhale exhale this time hands come down to plank left foot steps back into that high lunge breathing here one more breath in exhale hands come down to plank right foot comes down to plank breathe here knee come down sit yourself back feel your lower back open as you do take a deep breath take another deep breath good come forwards now bend the elbows lower front inhale lift your shoulders up activate your back exhale down inhale shoulders up again exhale down and inhale push yourself up plank or use your knees then exhale back find that down with dog again good remembering those deep breaths here okay like I said last time tilting your hips up towards the ceiling and down dog you almost bring in that hamstring stretch on okay now next thing I want you to do in this position is lift your toes off the mat keep everything else where it is lift your toes off the mat and now imagine you're curling your heels towards your bum same thing okay so you're activating your hamstrings feel that nice activation bit of a stretch now bring your toes back down to the mat almost like you're trying to drag your feet away on the mat feel that activation of your hamstrings keep breathing each time you're in dog today I want to I want to see him feel that activation inhale here good exhale left foot between the hands inhale hands come up to that high lunge exhale here one more inhale exhale comes forwards over the front knee into that fold keep breathing deep breath in then go then the knees inhale hands go wide coming up exhale straight into the fold half lift good exhale stepping the right foot back into that lunge but drop to the right knee keep breathing lift your shoulders above your hips hips above the back knee keep breathing flatten out the top of the right foot now now hands up same way we did in high lunge good and we're not lunging forwards today okay I just want you to activate your glutes now and feel that stretch on the front of the right hip good now kick the top of the right foot into the mat for your quads on the right side activate as well hands come down either side of the front foot stay here now slowly move your hips back next inhale come forwards next exhale hips back come forwards this time as you come back maybe try and lift the left toes and bring a hamstring stretch on the left side just keep breathing and moving if you need to make your stance or your lunge a little longer here to get more of a hamstring stretch feel free but the goal isn't to straighten the leg the goal is to get a stretch wherever you are so if you even if you need to shorten your lunge that's fine too if you're just moving like this and you can feel a hamstring stretch because your hamstrings are tight today that's fine the goal is to feel a stretch not to like force the stretch good keep moving wherever you are now start to curl that heel towards the bum as you come forwards then as you come back slow it down with your hamstring again so we're activating that hamstring as we come forwards we're pulling ourselves forward with our heel and as we come back we're trying to slow it down with our heel good you're stretching that hamstring in its length and position as well sorry you're activating the hamstring in its length and position obviously you're stretching it in its length and position that's kind of the point but we're working it too inhale forwards exhale back one more this side inhale forwards exhale back now forwards and just reset into that low lunge we're in breathe in here exhale hands come back down now and step back to plank lower your knees flatten your feet sit back take a breath now come forwards lower your front down take an inhale lift your shoulders come down one more inhale and down next inhale push yourself up to plank or all fours and then into that down dog good remember what we're doing with our feet and how we're working our hamstrings breathe good next inhale right foot between your hands feel that lunge drop the back knee flatten out the top of the back foot hands go up to begin with breathing here take an inhale activate those muscles in your bum so you can feel that stretch in the hip one more inhale wherever you are exhale hands forwards now so do the same on the other side so weight forwards inhale and back exhale and again if you need to rearrange to shorten so you can get some movement or if you want a bit more length feel free okay but again the goal is to stretch and if you can feel that stretch you're doing the right thing we're not forcing this okay inhale forward start curling that heel to pull you forwards exhale back slow that down with your hamstring and forwards exhale back slow good and moving back into that stretch and just check in here see how your hamstrings are feeling okay you're not forcing it you're not giving all your might just to pull you forward it's just enough so you can feel that muscle working one more forwards one more back now come forwards again just lift the hands inhale exhale weight over the front knee step into that forward fold take a breath then next inhale bend your knees and nice and wide come up exhale into the fold inhale half lift exhale hands to plank left foot steps back first this time drop the back knee inhale up breathing here activating the bum one more inhale exhale hands either side of the front foot and let's move forwards and back remember that activation straight away this time forwards and back forwards and back and again if you need to readjust this lunge to shorten it or lengthen it for your legs and your stretch that's what you're doing here okay you might not look like me when you're doing this you might go shallower or deeper into the stretch but the goal is that hamstring stretch or if your hamstrings are super tight and your lower back is super tight you feel it there too one more inhale forwards exhale back now come forwards again lift the hands breathing here one more inhale exhale hands down come back to plank for a second drop your knees exhale back feel your lower back open take a breath good now forwards then the arms lower down inhale lift exhale down inhale this time just try and activate your back lift your hands off the mat too and down do that one more time inhale up and down push yourself up or two all fours then back to down dog and again feel that activation in your hamstrings stretching them out maybe straighten the hamstrings or the legs a little more in down dog next inhale left foot between the hands exhale here and then deep inhale up good one more in and then hands come down and remember forwards inhale activate exhale back activate good forwards inhale and back forwards and back so one more forwards one more back one more forwards now hands up exhale here deep breath in now weight comes forwards on the exhale into that fold and just three breaths in that fold now cross your arms let the top of your head dangle down last inhale here exhale and bend the knees one hands inhale stand yourself up hands come down to prayer stay standing take a deep breath here on the exhale drop your hands on the inhale lift your hands exhale hands to chest fold forwards nice and slow go for that half lift up and exhale just bring your hands down step back to plank however you get to plank take a deep breath in and then come down to your knees on the exhale lower your front to the mat lower your front to the mat let's lift again on the inhale hands off the mat exhale one more of them and exhale nice as you take another inhale bring yourself up to all fours and sit yourself back here into this turtle pose or turtle position and just breathe in feel your lower back open out good and however you get there just bring yourself to a seated position grab your belt on the way wherever that is now now feet out in front of you okay so both feet to begin with in front of you and bend your knees a little bit okay and what I want you to think of is we're hinging forwards at the hips and it's almost like we're laying our body on top of our legs here to begin with and wherever that is you'll probably feel a stretch in the lower back just dip your head and start to breathe here for three breaths take a deep inhale breathe through your fill your belly with air okay as you breathe you feel your belly round exhale let that deflate let's do that again fill your belly so much you can feel it in your lower back as well let that out sit yourself up now okay grab your belt and just let the right foot out in front of you and bend the left knee however you're comfortable with the left knee okay that's not our concern our concern is the stretch on the on the right hamstring for now okay belt around the ball of your foot okay and come back up to see your position take a deep inhale deep inhale and then just fold forwards hinging at the hips okay if you're super tight here and you can't really get much bend the knee okay feel that stretch all right maybe bend it a bit more if you're comfortable that's why we're grabbing the belt and then hinge at the hips and as soon as you kind of get to that point where you're like that's pretty tight on my hamstring okay so you've got that stretch then you can just calm down and just relax into that stretch so whatever that hamstring stretch is for you just get there come forwards keep holding the belt and breathe and we'll take three more breaths here so one more inhale together one more exhale just feel any tension relax and then sit yourself up up and switch sides so left foot out now if you need to do whatever you need to with the right knee i bend it and have it out to the side if you're more chill with it open out a bit that's fine and now we'll do the same thing so bend the knee as much as you want take a deep breath in hinge at the hips to find that hamstring stretch wherever that is for you when you think oh that's a bit tight and just let everything just come down into that nice stretch you keep those toes pointing up towards the ceiling and just breathe here and how your hamstrings feeling how's your lower back feeling is it starting to relax with your breath that's the plan every inhale you find a bit of tension and every exhale you just let it go just like any any stress or any tough round you've had and you're holding a grudge against your training partner or anything like that just as you exhale just let that go all right all right if this is a day off flow for you just give yourself some time to relax and unwind on those days off practicing some yoga for bjj or one of our cool down flows just breathe in here last inhale here together last exhale bring yourself up now okay fold the belt in half again and hold that above your head so we'll start off like this in a second but i want you to bend your knees to begin with and we'll take an inhale and same thing as we exhale we hinge at the hips and just try and drive that belt up and down just try and drive that belt forwards and come back up exhale forwards and come back up and the goal is to just keep everything you know you can you're going to be using a bit of core here just to lean forwards but this is shouldn't feel like a crazy workout and again start off with your knees bent and just feel that stretch in your hamstrings your lower back wherever and just drive your hands forwards maybe you can pass them over your feet or maybe you're just coming down to this wherever you are just feel that stretch come back up nice and slow and again any pain or discomfort obviously don't go into that if you start feeling uncomfortable maybe come up with the knees a bit more and just come forwards just a few of them inhale up exhale forwards drive that belt forwards maybe past your feet inhale up exhale forwards drive the shoulders forwards inhale up good exhale forwards hinge at the hips inhale up exhale one more forwards and then stay down let go of the belt just grab your shins grab your knees grab your feet wherever you are and just three breaths here so good one more deep inhale one more exhale and inhale just bring yourself up wherever you're comfortable keep breathing good bend the left knee now more than the right knee okay and just step the left foot over the right knee and just hug the left knee with your inner part of your right elbow and open the left hand out to the side not enough so you're leaning back just enough so you can touch the mat and just open out maybe look behind you just feel a bit of a twist okay take one more inhale okay so come out of that switch your feet okay so straighten out the left bend the right more than the left right foot comes over the left knee hug the right knee with the left the fold of the left arm and now open out to the right and maybe look behind you and breathe just a nice twist here we've done a lot of folds we've done a little bit of back bendy stuff let's just find a little twist for a second one more inhale exhale come out of that now okay cross your shins and just bring yourself up to your fours however you get there now right foot up towards the right wrist then just turn the right foot under the opposite hip and we'll come into pigeon but i want a shallow pigeon today so if you're usually back here good for you but let's go for a shallow pigeon today and from here just activate same thing we're doing in that lunge position activate your glutes a little bit so that you can feel that stretch on the front of the left hip and just breathe for a few slow breaths so this is shallow pigeon we're activating that hip sorry we're activating our glutes to stretch that hip and then one more inhale now exhale maybe drag your foot back a little bit just so you can feel the stretch on the outer hip on the right side so the front the front leg you're getting a bit of a stretch on the outer hip here you don't need to be in some crazy split so just bring yourself up to the right side and then just bring yourself up to the left hip you don't need to be in some crazy split position here to get that we're trying to find that without doing that and breathe and for those of you that struggle in pigeon and you're kind of struggling to get comfortable here whenever pigeon is offered go for this so my legs are at a 90 degree angle and just go for that same thing today okay that's going to open the same area on the front and prepare you for pigeon one more inhale wherever you are exhale come up to all fours and we'll go left side now so left knee left wrist bring that opposite foot under the hip drag back a little tense the glutes feel that stretch in the front of the hip so take another inhale here exhale maybe come back a little bit and just feel that stretch on the outer hip now okay if you've got to this point and you want that 1990 angle again feel free just because we might tell you to go to pigeon if you prefer this just just get here all right eventually your hips might open out a little more and you'll get to this position okay it might take weeks could take months whatever it is you're still working on yourself you're still bettering yourself okay just because you're just because you're tight doesn't mean you're not doing the stretches right it just means you might need to adapt them for now but later down the line you'll know you've worked towards whatever stretch whatever stretch you're trying to get into when you get there good okay now just however you're comfortable just get yourself back up to a standing position and then just lightly bend your knees and come into that forward fold again that we started in wherever your weight is okay imagine your weight is in your hips and just lean your hips forward slightly over the balls of your feet so your weight isn't over your heels your hips aren't over your heels you're just leaning it forwards a little bit to get maybe a bit more of a stretch across the arms dangle the top of the head down towards the mat and breathe and just see how that forward fold feels now compared to at the start maybe you're up from side to side a little bit and how is your body feeling you know you've just done a bit of work on your hamstrings your lower back to improve your forward fold right if it's your first time doing this class obviously you've got used to a bit of a sequence you've worked you stretched you've activated and just realize your hard work any little like extra like fold you've got or any extra comfort just just realize that is from you doing this practice and taking time to do this practice and giving yourself that time and just appreciate that in this fold for a couple more seconds and then bend your knees a little more come down to land on your back lay on your back keep your knees bent okay rest the insides of your knees together as you widen your feet out a little bit then just rest your hands by your sides and breathe here okay if when you got into this position your if your chin's pointing up to the ceiling stretching the front of your neck out just tuck your chin a bit get your neck straight with your back and breathe in good okay just to wind down here i want you to close your eyes wherever you are okay you don't need to be anywhere for a couple of minutes we'll just work on some slow breath and we'll do four seconds in four seconds out so take a deep inhale first let that out now breathing in one two three four breathing out two three four two three four in again two three four out two three four just keep going with that counting in your head just do five more of those slow breaths if something else pops into your mind just keep thinking about your breath we don't do this enough and i'll let you know when it's time okay maybe you're on your last round of this breath or maybe you want to carry on with that breath the video is going to end in a few seconds so if you're good and ready you can turn on to your side sit yourself up or if you do need more time to keep working on that breath feel free massive thank you for practicing with me today i hope you enjoyed the forward fold class with some adaptations for everyone let me know how you got on and i'll do some more classes like this thanks everyone