Sebastian Brosche · 28 min · 2,860 words
Previously titled: Rotation - Yoga For Strikers
For our class today, working on rotation of the spine. And I'll talk just for one minute because with kickboxing or boxing, we're always rotating as we punch, as we pull back. Same thing with the kicks. When we're moving through the kicks, rotation, right?
Rotation. So we're using that all the time and it's not that different in jiu-jitsu. Jiu-jitsu might have a scissor sweep set up. Boom, one, two, rotation.
Maybe someone is pressure passing us. I really hope not, but you know, it's a reality situation. There's always someone better. So rotation through the spine.
Legs are one side, weight, shoulders are facing the other way. The goal of today's class is to improve the rotation of the spine and to loosen up the side body too so we can do what we do on the jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing mats better by doing some homework off those mats, on our stretching mats. Start in a seated position. Hands on the knees.
Begin moving. So circles with the upper body, with the torso. And always here I have appreciation of that lower back. Change directions of your circles.
The lower back takes a lot of stress, a lot of strain, a lot of load through the boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai. And it's not that much of a massive piece of the spine holding there. What supports it is a lot of the muscles too. So if it ever gets sore, it's a pretty good reason for it.
It does a lot of work. Today we'll give it some TLC. Come to center. Place your favorite hand on the ground.
For me it's my right. Reach the left arm up tall and lean over to the right side. Feeling the stretch through the lower back, middle back, upper back, through the side. And you may feel it, for me I feel it more in my lower back and it probably is because that's where it needs it, that's where it's tight.
Come to center. Left hand down, reach the right arm up or just the other side. Make yourself tall, then reach over. One more time, opposite side.
Make sure you reach tall and over. Last one. Back to center, hands on the knees. Sit tall, so as if there's a string or rope pulling the top of your head up.
Our goal is to make the spine tall before we do a small twist. So your right hand on the opposite knee, left hand, use it as a post behind. Inhale, sit tall. Exhale, slowly look to the left, not cranking it or anything, just getting it moving.
Inhale to lift. Exhale to gently rotate. One more. Inhale to lift.
Exhale, gently rotate. Back to center, other side. So this time left hand on the right knee. Right hand is behind, inhale to lift.
Exhale, look to the right. Don't crank the neck, don't look behind you really far. This isn't about range of motion, this is about slowly introducing the spine to the rotation we'll be doing through the class. Inhale to lift, exhale to rotate.
Last one. Back to center. And just once, place the hands behind you, both feet on the ground. Look at your favorite ankle, place that ankle on the opposite quad.
So you should feel the stretch through the outside of the hip. To intensify the stretch, bring the foot that's on the ground closer to the hips and push the chest up. No slouches, no slouchy backs, push the chest up. Other side.
Placing both feet on the ground, looking at your second favorite ankle, put it on the quad. The opposite quad because it's impossible to put it on the same quad. If you do, there's some more problems happening there, not just stretching. Awesome.
And releasing that, grabbing behind the legs, tuck the chin, and just rock and roll a few times along the spine, bringing awareness to how good it feels. To do a little self massage along each side of the spine, the muscles on each side of the spine. Moving all the way to the hands and knees. Placing the right foot to the outside of the right hand.
A nice stretch through the inside of the legs. Not staying here for too long. Just building some movement, building some heat. Back to all fours, left foot to the outside of the left hand.
Back to all fours. Now this time, I want to start by finding what's called the 90-90 or S-mount. So take the right knee, pretty much to, it doesn't matter if it goes to the right wrist, somewhere to the right wrist, fall to that right side and allow the left foot to be bent. So we have pretty much a 90-90 with the legs.
Two 90-degree angles. Go ahead and drop to the elbows and you will want to drop more towards the right. Try to center yourself. Stay here if this is enough.
Again, I don't want this to be intense, just kind of introducing the body to what we're doing today. But for the back leg, if you want more intensity with the back leg, go ahead and straighten it. Straighten it a little more, that'll intensify the stretch. Front foot, it doesn't matter where it is.
It doesn't matter if your front foot's all the way up here. It doesn't matter if it's in line with your knee. It doesn't matter if it's behind your knee. All I want is for you to feel a stretch on the outside of the right hip.
Use the hands to prop yourself up. Simple switch. Take a second to find your two 90-degree angles. Go ahead, optional to drop on the elbows.
And if this is enough, just stay here. It's not about being crazy intense. I just want you to feel a stretch on the outside of the hip. Maybe with the back leg, to intensify the stretch, you can go ahead and straighten it Straighten it.
All right. Find your way to your hands and knees on all fours. Go ahead and tuck the toes to lift the hips for dog. Now in dog, what I don't want is I don't want the legs straight and the spine bent.
I don't want that. I want legs bent. Even if you can straighten them, I still want them bent. I want you to lift the hips, lift the sit bones nice and high.
I just recognize kind of how cool this is with the hips high and using gravity to allow the spine to be long all the way to the head. And with the legs, slowly pedal them out. Just bend one leg, bend the other. And don't worry about staying static.
Go ahead and move. Move the hips a bit. Shake the head. Nice.
Nice. Now step both feet to the hands to the front of the mat for forward fold. Allow the head to hang hands on the ground and sway left and right. So you'll feel this through the back and maybe even through the hamstrings.
Legs should be bent. And on your inhale as you breathe in, go ahead and straighten the back, top of the head reaching forward. Making the back work. You should engage to that lower back.
On your exhale, fold forward. Deep breath in, stand all the way up. And palms together. So three what's called half salutations to start just to get the blood moving, especially the back body.
So inhale, arms up. Exhale, forward fold, knees bent. Inhale half left. Exhale forward fold.
Inhale stand all the way up. Exhale palms together. Two more. Inhale arms up.
Now when the arms are up, reach and allow a small back bend, just the smallest, world's smallest back bend. Exhale, fold forward, forward bend. Inhale arms up. Exhale forward fold.
Inhale stand all the way up. Exhale palms together. Last one. Inhale arms up.
Exhale forward fold. Inhale half left. Exhale forward fold. Inhale arms up.
Exhale palms together. Adding to this now, inhale arms up. Exhale forward fold. Inhale half left.
Exhale palms on the ground. Step your right foot back, right knee down. Both hands on the front knee, bringing the torso up. Palms together.
Rotate only through the torso towards the left. So hips, everything stays facing forward. Rotate towards the left and bring the elbow onto the leg. Allowing there to be a post, a structure from the foot, the ankle, the knee, the elbow, even the other elbow on top.
Now make the spine long. Come to center. Palms down. Find your dog.
Remember legs bent, hips up and back. Simply to transition to the other side. This time a right foot forward, left knee down. Both hands on the front knee, bringing the torso up.
Palms together to rotate to the right. See the torso rotating to the right. Elbow on the knee. And it's okay if it takes a second just to find the position.
Looking at the structure of the ankle, the knee, the left elbow, the bottom elbow and then the right one. And make the spine long. Pulling through the top of that spine, that head to make the spine long. Sometimes it might be a little harder to breathe and twist and that's okay.
Coming to center. Hands on the ground. Find your plank position, holding the plank strong, lowering the entire body to the ground and hands beside the hips, palms down. Lifting the heels up first, shoulders second and your hands last.
For three, two, one. Now hands just under the shoulders, pulling the shoulder blades down, down, down, down. Using mostly the back to simply lift. Moving through that strengthening the upper back this time.
Use the hands to push off. Find your way to turtle first, just to relieve the back. Or if you're feeling fantastic, go right to dog. You have options.
Finding the dog, stepping both feet to the front of the mat. Inhale half lift, activating through the back. Exhale forward fold. Inhale to stand all the way up.
Exhale palms together. Adding to this now. So inhale arms up. Exhale forward fold.
Inhale half lift. And on your exhale, once again, step the right foot back, right knee down. This time we're staying here. With the right hand, find a strong post.
With the left hand, reach up. And take a second to find where is comfortable in the pose. You might have to walk the right hand out a little bit more and that's okay. So once you've found this, with the left arm reaching up, push off the right hand.
Reach through the left arm and pull the top of the head forward with that rope like we did in the beginning of class to make the spine long. Either stay here. Option to tuck the back toes to lift the back hip. Just appreciating this rotation.
It's a big rotation through the spine. Also adding some strengthening through the shoulders. Release that. Find your dog.
Simply to transition, hips up and back. And step the right foot, this time to replace the left hand. So not between the hands. The right foot to replace the right hand.
Left and right is hard. Posting, find a good post now with the left hand. The hand farthest from the foot, the left hand. Reach the right arm up.
So pushing off the left hand, reaching the right arm up. Either stay here or tuck the toes in the back foot and lift the back hip. And appreciating all over again the twist, the rotation on this side. Both hands down.
Find your plank. Lower the entire body to the ground. Hands beside the hips, palms down. Lifting the heels first.
Lifting the heels first. Lifting the shoulders second. The hands third for three, two, one. Hands under the shoulders, feet on the ground, shoulders down.
Using mostly the back, pull up. Pull the torso up. Release that. Find your way to turtle or to dog.
Hips up and back to find your dog if you haven't already. Moving through our last salutation. Inhale, half lift. Exhale forward fold.
Inhale stand all the way up. Exhale palms together. Sometimes it's so nice just to get those deep breaths. Inhale arms up.
Exhale forward fold. Inhale half lift. And on the exhale, step the right foot back but keep the right knee up. Bringing the torso up for what's called crescent lunge, high lunge, because the knee's off the ground.
Same thing as before, palms together using only the torso to rotate to the left. Only the torso. Allowing the arm to base on the knee. Making a strong frame through the ankle, the knee, the bottom elbow, the top elbow, pushing the hands together.
And lastly, making the spine long by using the rope to pull the spine up. Finding your way back to center. Dog. Then other side.
Stepping the right foot forward, back knee stays off the ground. Torso up. Palms together. Rotating only the torso, only the upper body.
Leave the hips where they are. Only the upper body. You might use your core to help rotate to the right. Elbow on the leg.
Paying attention to your structure. Ankle, knee, bottom elbow, top elbow, pushing the hands together. Lifting the top of the head to make the spine long. Back to center.
Find your plank, the last one, with control, lowering the entire body to the ground, hands palm down beside the hips, lifting the feet first, the shoulders second, and the hands third. For three, two, and one. Hands under the shoulders. Again, pulling the shoulder blades together and down as if they wanted to go in your back pockets.
Using mostly the back muscles, lift for Cobra. Release that. Pushing the hips to heels to find your turtle or your dog. And onto your back.
Find your way to your back. Moving through some strengthening of the back body. Bridge. Plant the feet.
Now, just watch one time. What we will do is bridge through the hips as we bring the arms overhead. But slow and controlled. All right.
Here we go. So push off the feet, lifting vertebrae by vertebrae, lower back, middle back, upper back. And as you do that, arms overhead. Holding this.
Four, three. Lifting the belly button higher. Two, and one. Two more of these.
Gently lower. Vertebrae by vertebrae. Good. Again, lower back, middle back, upper back.
For three, two, and one. Back down. Getting ready for the last one. And lower back lifts, middle back, upper back, arms overhead.
Holding this. Belly button up. Feeling the glutes engage. Maybe even the lower back and the back a tiny bit.
For five, four, three, two, and one. Nice work. Releasing the arms beside you. Pull the knees into the chest.
Gently rock side to side. Keeping the left knee into the chest. Extend the right leg out. And bring the left knee to the right side, over to the right side.
Left arm, you can leave it exactly where it is. Or it might be nice to reach the left arm up and pull it behind you. And in these last few minutes, just closing the eyes and recognizing how good everything feels. Like it wasn't crazy, crazy hard, but it was good.
It was movement. It was quality. Every single thing we did in these last just under 30 minutes had a purpose. And I just think that's so cool.
Coming to center. Feet on the ground. Realign. Reset the spine.
I find it goes off center. And just before the other side, gently bring the knees left and right. Releasing those hips. Bring the right knee into the chest, left leg straight.
And go ahead and bring the knee, the right knee over to the left side. For your spinal twist, and left arm either up or behind you. Releasing that. Come back to center.
Two options for the feet. You can either have them splayed out or it feels nice on the lower back. Option two. Feet on the ground.
Walk the bottom of the feet further out than the hips. Knees together. Just allow the knees to fall together. And hands can be beside you.
Palms up on your belly, wherever you feel comfortable. Palms up on your belly, wherever you like. And take two or three breaths, closing the eyes. Kind of taking a mental note of how everything feels.
And all we're doing is allowing our work to marinate in the body before we rush off to do whatever we've got to do after this. Whatever we don't have to do after this. And if you have more time, of course stay here and enjoy it. Or if you're working within that 30 minutes, roll to your favorite side.
Use the hands to push yourself up. And there we are. Thank you for joining me today, everybody, and I will see you next time.
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