Sarah Draht · 5 min · 774 words
Previously titled: Video 3 Hips & Hamstrings I don't have time for yoga
Sarah here, we don't have time for yoga but no we need it. Hips focusing on really the front of the hips today. So start in seated position, windshield wipers. Today, like we've already moved through how to do the windshield wipers, but really post on the hands, pull the shoulders towards the spine.
So pull the shoulders back, shoulder blades together towards the spine, see if you can make the chest proud. Adding a bonus shoulder opener might as well. We're here and we do have videos specifically for shoulder opening, but again jiu-jitsu we're always forward, protecting our neck, protecting our chokes, protecting our arms from arm bars, always forward. So from here all fours, right foot behind the right hand come all the way up for low lunge.
Now in the low lunge what I want you to do is press the back foot into the ground, engage the back glutes, your left glute, and pull the hips to ribs just a little bit. So instead of arching the back, you're gonna kind of round the spine a bit. So as if you were a puppy to tuck the tail underneath you, you'll feel a nice stretch through the front of that left hip, reach the left arm up, then overhead. So you have a stretch not just through the left hip but also you should be feeling it through that left quad too.
Okay, release, other side. So I say left foot behind the left hand or replace the left hand because I want your feet on a railroad track. I don't want them in on a tightrope, I want them in a railroad track. Back foot into the ground, engage the right glute, hips to ribs a little bit.
Once you found that, right hand up as high as you can to the ceiling and then overhead. Why are the hip flexors so tight? Because the legs are bent. I'm sitting in the guard, I have someone in my guard, I'm on mount.
The hip flexors, the legs are always bent so it's really important to balance that because if they get too tight that's what will cause injuries because they're too tight until finally it's had enough. Don't pull something, tear something. That's probably why this feels so good. We need the stretch.
Now from here, on your hands and knees, all fours, tuck the toes, lift the hips for your dog, lift the hips to make the spine long, legs bent and push one heel to the ground then the other heel to the ground. So instead of focusing on pushing the heels to the ground, allow the legs to be bent, focus on making the hips high to make the spine long. This is really nice natural traction of the spine and shake any tension out of the neck and head. Hidden tension I didn't even know was there.
From here, walk the feet to the hands, walk the feet wider than the hands, lower to your deep squat. This is nice. Palms together, use those palms to push the knees out, make the spine long. Doesn't matter if your heels are on the ground or not, just know that you can make the feet as wide as you need to even off the mat.
Lower the hands to the ground, lift the hips. So stretching through the back of the hips, through the inside of the hips. Now this is the back. Bring the weight into the ball of your feet, bring the weight into your hands, the weight forward to allow that spine to hang long.
Lower back all the way to the head, lower the hips, deep squat. Moving between both these postures, deep squat and forward fold. You'll find that other areas get a bit of a bonus. So we had the shoulders got a bonus opener, here the spine gets some natural traction which is really nice.
But stretching through that back body and if you feel it more in the hamstrings, your hamstrings need the stretch or calves, calves feel the stretch or lower back, that means your lower back needs a release. So that's why often I won't be specific in where you should feel the stretch because it's different for everybody. You feel it where you need it. So in all those areas, the hamstrings, the lower back, all of those affect the hips.
That's where it's tight, that's where it needs it. So find your way all the way down to the deep squat and then to a sit. Great five minutes. I'll see you next time.
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