Sebastian Brosche · 22 min · 2,037 words
Previously titled: high (11)
Hey everybody, our flow today focuses on strengthening and lengthening through the hamstrings and using the core to keep control in balance. Grabbing that jujitsu belt, start on your back. Loop the belt around the ball of the right foot. Extend the leg towards the ceiling and if it feels good, you can gently bend and extend the leg.
You don't have to stay straight right away, especially if it's tight or cold. It might not feel very good to have that leg straight right away. So you can bend and extend a few times. Neither keep doing what you're doing or loop the belt around the hands and gently extend the leg.
The reason I go through the ball of the foot is to allow the heel to release towards the ceiling, then the calf can join the party. Other side, left leg in that belt, right leg extended. And either bend and extend the leg a few times and straighten it when you're ready or don't straighten it and just keep bending and extending. So your hamstring, whatever feels good.
Actually your hamstrings, all of them are yours. Releasing the belt. All done with that for now. Find your way onto the hands and knees for Cat-Cow.
Moving through a Cat-Cow, extending the spine, flexing the spine. Maybe stay with straight up and down. Maybe move left and right. And as you're doing this, be aware of the core.
See if you can engage the core and see what that feels like because we will be engaging the core to help with balance, movement, transitions today. So right away bringing awareness to it. From here, step the right foot to the outside of the right hand. Moving through a flow of walking the hands back to straighten or almost straighten that leg and walking the hands forward to bend the front leg and stretch the back hip.
So really gently walking forward and back. And the next time that your hands are forward, the leg is bent. Find your way to Plank Position. And step the left foot to the outside of the left hand.
Back knee down. Walking the hands forward and back to stretch out that hamstring and the front of the back hip, the front of the right hip. That's always a handful to stay. And the next time your hands are forward, find your way to Plank, slowly lowering everything to the ground for Sphinx Pose.
So elbows under the shoulders, palms on the ground, using the hands to gently pull the torso forward, allowing for a gentle back bend. Releasing that, Plank to Dog. And step both feet to the front of the mat for Forward Fold. Inhale Half Lift.
Exhale Forward Fold. Inhale stand all the way up. Exhale palms together. Now this is cool.
Walk the feet out so they're a little bit further than the hips and so you can do your Deep Squat. And from the Deep Squat, I want you to extend your Forward Fold. Moving between these two, the Forward Fold and Deep Squat. Deep Squat's really nice for the hips.
You should feel this pretty much in the hamstrings, maybe the lower back too. Moving between these a few times on your own time. The next time you're in your Deep Squat, lower the hips, find your way to Boat Pose, and legs can be straight or bent. Lower down to a Crunch and Boat Pose.
Crunch Boat Pose. Three more. Crunch Boat Pose. I also wouldn't trust my counting.
Crunch Boat Pose. Last one. Moving also through those hip flexors, really good for the Jitsu Guard. Roll the legs back in Vertigard.
Roll forward to your Deep Squat. Maybe find your crow. Meet me in Plank. Dog.
Step the right foot between the hands for High Lunge. From High Lunge, bend the front leg. It's already bent, but really bend it to shift the weight onto the front leg for Warrior Three. Keeping the front leg bent, extend the weight forward, engage the core like we did at the beginning of class in our Cat-Cow, and feel the activation through the hamstrings.
Bend the knee to shift with control to your High Lunge. Two more times. Bend the knee, move forward with control to Warrior Three. High Lunge.
Warrior Three. High Lunge. Plant the hands. Dog.
Other side. So left foot between the hands up for your High Lunge. And everything here should be moving with control. The trick is to bend the front knee to shift the weight forward to Warrior Three.
Be aware of where you feel this. The front leg can be in a micro bend to feel the hamstrings activating. Bend the front leg with control using the core. High Lunge.
Two more. Bend the front knee. For Warrior Three. With control, High Lunge.
And last one. Bend the front leg for Warrior Three. Find your way to High Lunge. Both hands up and down for Plank.
Using the core like a slow push up. Pulling yourself to the ground. Floating Cobra. So just lifting the hands, lifting the legs.
And Cobra using the hands to pull the torso up and forward. Find your way to Dog. Step both feet to the front of the mat for Forward Fold. Inhaling Half Lift.
Exhale, Forward Fold. Inhale to stand all the way up. Exhale palms together. Same flow as before.
Open the feet a little bit wider than the hips. Forward Fold. Or sorry. Deep Squat to your Forward Fold.
So on your own time, on your own breathing between the Deep Squat, Forward Fold. And there's not really a number. Whether you do it three, four, five times. It might feel better to do this a little quicker today.
And other days it might feel nicer to do this a little bit slower. The next time you're in your Deep Squat, lower the hips for Boat Pose. And lower for your Crunch. Boat Pose.
Crunch with control. All the transitions today we use the core to control. Boat. Crunch.
Boat. Crunch. Boat. And roll to your Inverted Guard.
Plow Pose. Roll to your Deep Squat. Finally find your Crow. Plank Position.
Dog. Step the right foot between the hands for High Lunge. This time we're adding to this. So same as before with control.
Bend the front knee. Find your Warrior Three. Then control with the core. Front Leg, Back Leg, Forward for Balancing Pose.
Really good for the hip flexors which is good for our guard. Reverse Warrior Three. With control bend the front leg to find your High Lunge. Two more.
Warrior Three. Balancing Pose. Warrior Three. High Lunge.
Last one. Warrior Three. Balancing Pose. Warrior Three.
High Lunge. And Dog. Take a second and Dog. Walk it out.
Feel that through the almost entire right leg. This time step the left foot between the hands up for High Lunge. Using the core the entire time to control. Warrior Three.
Being aware of the activation through the back of the left hamstring. Knee can be bent. Balancing Pose. Warrior Three.
High Lunge. That's one. Two more. Bend the front leg with control Warrior Three.
High Lunge. Warrior Three. High Lunge. Last one.
Warrior Three. High Lunge. Warrior Three. High Lunge.
Nice work. Find your way to Plank. Lowering the body to the ground. Floating Cobra.
Cobra. Plank to Dog. Stepping both feet to the front of the mat for Forward Fold. Inhale Half Lift.
Exhale Forward Fold. Inhale to stand all the way up. And on your exhale palms together. One last time today.
Deep Squat. To Forward Fold. Deep Squat. Forward Fold.
Just on your own time. You might find with this last set the hamstrings and hips are loosening up really nicely. The next time you're in your Deep Squat go ahead and lower the hips for Boat Pose. And Crunch.
Boat Pose. And Crunch. Boat Pose. And Crunch.
Boat Pose. And Crunch. Boat Pose. Roll back to your Plow.
Or Inverted Guard. And rolling forward to find your Crow. And if you can't do Crow just meet me in Plank. Dog Position.
Stepping the right foot between the hands up for Warrior Two. Find a good stance. Arms reach out. With control.
Bending the front leg. Move to Half Moon. If you can't do this just do your Flying Warrior just like we did the last two sets. If you can do Half Moon let's do Half Moon.
A really amazing active stretch through the hamstrings. Bending the front leg with control. Finding your Warrior Two. Plank.
Last back bend. Lower everything to the ground. Last back bend for Cobra. Lifting the arms for hands for Floating Cobra.
Normal Cobra. Plank the feet. Dog. Step the left foot forward.
Right foot goes out for Warrior Two. Find your Warrior. Finally shifting for Half Moon with control. And again, can't do this just do the Warrior Three we did earlier.
If you need a block to rest your hand on go ahead and do that. No problem. With control. Gently bend the front leg.
Find your Warrior Two. Place both feet so they're facing the side of the mat. Inhale to lift. Exhale forward fold.
Nice stretch through the hamstrings. We have just a little bit more work to do. Find your way under your back. Bridge Pose.
A little bit different though. Post both feet on the ground. Lift the hips. For the first set lift the hips.
Pull the heels towards the shoulders. The heels are planted. Pull them up towards the shoulders and you'll feel an activation through the back body. The hamstrings to the glutes.
Holding this with the belly button high for three, two, one. Good. Two more of those bad boys. Planting the feet.
Lift the hips. Lift the hips as high as they will go. Plant the feet. Pull the heels to the shoulders.
If this is too easy keep the hips lifted. For three, two, and one. Gently lower. All right.
Last one coming out. Planting the feet. Lift the hips. Pull the heels to shoulders.
Three, two, and one. Gently lower. Take a breather. Now with all those balancing poses the outer hips tend to work a lot to stabilize so we will do finish with a really nice stretch through the outer hips.
Right ankle on left quad. Lift the left knee just above the hips and lower to the left side. With my hand I like to grab the ankle. This stretch is meant to be a bit loose, a bit messy.
You'll feel a nice stretch through that outer hip. Today's focus is really cool as we move through this flow. Obviously it works the hamstrings but it teaches to use the core for control and I found unless I do that consciously I don't really do it. So if we can use the core through movement and transitions and have that strengthening and awareness eventually the goal will be able to do that without having to be as aware it which really transitions again to jiu-jitsu wrestling if we're moving through rounds and wrestles and tournaments and hard rounds or even if you do jiu-jitsu just for fun to be able to really engage the core through transitions that are hard is just incredibly important and even more effective.
More effective than it's important. More important than it's effective. 50-50 it's both. Okay, come to center.
Left ankle on the quad, knee above the hip, lower to the right side and have your hand just grab that ankle. Come to center. Both feet on the ground just wider than the hips, knees together, hands on the belly and take a few breaths letting all that work marinate for just a moment. The quick, well it's not quick, it feels like it's quick but the rest time right here is just as important as the work time.
It's letting everything sink in, marinate process, just as important. Roll to your favorite side, push yourself up and there we are. Thank you for joining me today everybody and I'll see you next time.
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