Yoga for Hips Archives - Page 2 of 2

30 Jun 2015

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Hips, Yoga Videos With No Comments Permalink

Strengthen Your Outer Hips

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki On 30 June 2015 With No Comments

Sometimes, stretching isn’t the answer, and you need strengthen your hips to get the results you want. When you’re working on things like mohawks, transitions, and plow stops, having the right muscles doing the right things is going to be a big help.

This quick video will show you some movements that you can do to help strengthen your outer hips so that those muscles can do their jobs–and you can kick more ass on the track.

Since I didn’t specifically call it out in the video, when you’re doing the leg lifts out to the sides with hands down on blocks/books, try to keep your hips as level as possible to get the outer hips to do the lifting. Just like in tree pose, you don’t want to trick yourself by doing a hip swivel!

What muscles are doing the work? If the ones I mention aren’t doing the work, what might be compensating?

Over the next few weeks, I’ll show you some ways to incorporate these moves into a yoga practice, share more hip tips, and help improve your transitions on the track.

14 May 2015

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Hips With No Comments Permalink

Stretching Tight Hips Might Not Be the Answer

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki On 14 May 2015 With No Comments

Last week on Facebook, I shared a post from a fellow yoga teacher about identifying imbalances in your hips. Which hey, we’ve all got from roller derby, right? I think it’s great info for figuring out what’s going on with your hips, but the conclusion–“So, spend some extra time each day “opening” your hips in whatever range of motion (and on whichever side) is most challenging for you, which will help ease those imbalances over time”–had me feeling pretty uncomfortable. Stretching tight hips might not be the answer.

Our bodies have “typical” ranges of motion. Yes, there’s some variation depending on bone structure, and yes, everyone is different! As skaters, extreme flexibility isn’t necessarily going to help our game as much as balanced bodies and functional movement will; in other words, more hip openers isn’t necessarily the way to go. It’s important to know whether a muscle feels sore or tight because it needs to be stretched, or if things are feeling off because the muscle is weak or fatigued (or something else entirely).**

Want to know more about the range of motion for internal and external rotation of your hips? Check out this video and play along to learn a little more about how your derby hips move.

**I am not a medical professional, and I can’t diagnose conditions in your body. I can tell you that if you’re noticing a really extreme imbalance, it’s worth seeing a physical therapist if you can to start resolving things.

06 May 2015

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Hips, Yoga Videos With No Comments Permalink

Unwind after Practice…in Bed

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki On 6 May 2015 With No Comments

It’s 10:00 p.m. (or 11:00 p.m., or midnight) and you just got home from another late night roller derby practice. You have a snack, shower, lie down in bed, and…nothing. Your mind is racing, and sleep isn’t happening. You need something to help you unwind after practice, and you have no idea what that would be.

Sound familiar?

Exercise later in the day–especially when it’s a high-impact sport like derby–triggers our bodies to produce more of our stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol. If these are bumped up right before bed, chances are, you’ll have a harder time falling asleep. Enter: restorative yoga.

A restorative yoga practice is generally slow, gentle, supported stretches; you’re not trying to go deep into poses. It’s designed to help calm your nervous system! Basically, it’s a lot more about being comfortable and letting your breath get slower and steadier, which can help chill out your stress response. (Think about it: when you get really anxious and hyped up, it can be harder to breathe. Calming your breath can make a big difference.)

This video is a yoga practice that you can do in bed! It’s targeted for the parts of your body that you use at practice–just in case you didn’t stretch–and, even more importantly, it’s slow and steady with some breath focus to help you settle down for bed. Take a hot shower, get cozy, and give it a try.

01 May 2015

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Hips, Yoga for Legs, Yoga Videos With No Comments Permalink

Hip Flexor Magic

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki On 1 May 2015 With No Comments

Don’t let the featured image fool you: you’ll be doing some lunges today, but they might be nothing like the ways you’ve done lunges in yoga before!

While I’m a big fan of constructive rest for hip flexors, it’s definitely only one piece of the puzzle. I bet you can relate to the feeling of “I’m sore–I should stretch!”and sometimes, stretching isn’t the needed solution. If that’s the case, give your hip flexors a break in one of the rest poses from my last post, and then give this awesome hip flexor magic that I learned from Jules Mitchell a try.

When you give this a go, move slowly. Slooooooooowly. Even if you don’t have someone’s hand there, pretend someone’s hand is pressing on the back of your thigh and you’re trying to move it. Create your own resistance!

As I mention in the video, it could be really helpful to have a teammate or partner around to place their hand at the back of your pelvis so that you have some resistance and become aware of when you’re actually moving! That will help with proprioception–knowing where you are in space–and won’t let you cheat.

And last but definitely not least, don’t worry if your movements are really, really tiny when you try this. (I’ve taught this in a lot of classes already, and most of my students don’t go very far.) Over time, as you strengthen and stretch your hip flexors in this new and exciting way, you’ll have more control and range of motion.

Like I said: magic!

29 Apr 2015

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Hips, Yoga for Legs With No Comments Permalink

Stop Beating Up Your Hip Flexors!

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki On 29 April 2015 With No Comments

The most frequent question that students ask me is how to stretch their psoas. They tell me it’s “tight” or “short.” Or they point at the front of their pelvis and say, “This. This hurts. What can I do?” I have an answer that I always give–in short, “Stop beating up your hip flexors!”–and nine times out of ten, they don’t like it.

I’m going to tell you about it anyway.

Here’s the thing: the more I read about the psoas, and the more I talk with medical professionals and teachers who know much more than I do (like the rockstar physical therapist Jill Nye the Science Guy of the Rat City Rollergirls, and yoga therapist and exercise scientist Jules Mitchell), the more I’m convinced that all of the stretching and rolling that we do for our poor psoas muscles isn’t the solution. In fact, when I talked with Jill, she told me that she’s never–yes, never–seen a short iliopsoas. Jules’ research on the science of stretching backs that up: “Your [muscle] length is your [muscle] length – determined by the distance between your attachment points.”

So…your hip flexors feel tight. Or sore. Or both. What do you do?

Stop Beating Up Your Hip Flexors: The Long Answer

You rest. Constructive rest, but rest!

This is why my students–roller derby players like you, rock climbers, and other athletes–hate my response. Everyone wants instant relief, and trust me: I do, too! With the psoas and other hip flexors, though, less is often more.

Get yourself set up to rest well. Make sure you have enough layers on to stay warm so that you’re not jumping up two minutes in. Lie on your back with your knees bent, and place the soles of your feet flat on the floor at least a foot from your hips. You can wiggle your feet a a bit further away–even a few inches more if that helps you feel more settled. One thing that can be pretty awesome is to loop a belt around your thighs so that you don’t have to use your inner thigh muscles to hold your legs up. Give them a break, too.

And then…you stay there. Possibly for five minutes, maybe ten, maybe even 15 or 20. I know, I know. You want to be up skating! You’ve got things to do! You want instant relief! I hear you, and I’m telling you that it’s not a thing. Lie on the floor. Do nothing. When you start feeling stuff–discomfort or sensations–stay there. Keep breathing. (Don’t torture yourself, of course! But try to stick with this until you start feeling some relief.)

Of course, you might not end up feeling anything. That’s the other thing about this. Then again, you might feel your pelvis sink down a little heavier. You might feel your hip flexors breathe an epic sigh of relief.

And that’ll be worth it. F’reals.

But Kickit, I Really, REALLY Can’t Just Lie There…

If lying on the floor is causing pain or panic, here’s another gentle option for you. Because again: stop beating up your poor, already-derby-abused hip flexors!

Start in the same rest pose as above, only this time bring your left knee in toward your chest for a hug–only so far as the position of your back doesn’t change! (Your low back might want to round and press into the floor. If that’s the case, don’t bring your leg in as close.) Your leg might be nowhere near your chest/belly, and that’s a-okay. If you’re having a really tough time reaching your shin without changing the position of your spine, hold the back of your thigh, or place a belt around your shin and hold the belt instead of your leg.

Once you’re settled in there, begin to slide your right heel forward to stretch your right leg out in front of you. Your leg doesn’t need to fully extend. Again, only go so far as you’re able to go without changing the position of your spine. If that means your right knee is still bent, let it be bent. (This time, your low and mid back might want to arch away from the floor. If you’re allowing your spine to arch, you’re taking away the possibility for your psoas to release. The more you know, right?)

Hang out here for 5-10 breaths, maybe up to 20 if you’re feeling pretty good here. When you’re ready, release and repeat on the other side.

And y’all: don’t do these immediately before you head to practice, okay? Give your body a little time to chill.

11 Jul 2014

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Hips, Yoga Videos With No Comments Permalink

Your New Favorite Hip Stretch

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki On 11 July 2014 With No Comments

Between the beta test of Flat Mat Regionals and class planning for RollerCon, things have been busy here in Flat Mat land. And even though I teach yoga–and a slower flow at that!–when things get crazy, sometimes it can be hard to slow down and practice. I’ve been sneaking in short practices wherever I can, enough to pause for a little bit and get grounded again.

With that in mind, I want to introduce you to one of my current favorite poses: twisted supine pigeon. I shared this during the sequences for Week 2 of Flat Mat Regionals, and I want the rest of you to experience the magic of this hip stretch, too! It’s great because it’s easily incorporated into a quick yoga practice, as you take supine pigeon and then roll onto your side.

More importantly, it’s also fantastic as a derby stretch, because it hits tensor fascia latae (TFL), one of the outer hip muscles that gets a lot of use during plow stops and crossovers. I often stay longer while I’m stretching the left side–after years of skating left, that’s the one that has a lot less mobility for me! Feel free to do the same on your tighter side; though we want to stretch fairly evenly, we’re looking for balance in the body in the long run.

Why?

This is a great stretch for tensor fascia latae (TFL), which is the muscle toward the front your outer hip that connects to your iliotibial tract (IT band). With all those plow stops, this muscle needs some serious TLC. (I hear it’s a fan of Crazy Sexy Cool.)

What to watch for:

Keep the supine pigeon position of your legs as best as possible while rolling onto your side. It’ll help you set things up more easily.
Hold your ankle rather than opening both arms into the twist. As you start moving your knee forward (if you choose to do that), you can gently pull on it to deepen the stretch.
Depending on your body, you might feel this in different places: piriformis (as in supine pigeon); side of your waist; TFL; or the entire length of your IT band.

When to practice this pose:

As part of your warm-up stretches – move from supine pigeon into this one
Post-practice or after a bout
Anytime, really! This pose doesn’t require any warming up

11 Jun 2014

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Hips, Yoga Videos With No Comments Permalink

A Little Love for Your Psoas

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki On 11 June 2014 With No Comments

When was the last time you stretched or released your psoas? Hint: if it wasn’t during this past week, you probably aren’t paying enough attention to it. (And if you’re not familiar with where your psoas is and what it does, don’t worry–you’re about to find out.)

A quick nerdy anatomy lesson: your psoas originates along the sides of the lower part of your spine, and ends at the top of your thigh bones. This means that these guys are muscles that affect your low back and your hips, both pretty important body parts for skaters. Your psoas is one of your primary hip flexors–in other words, one of the muscles you use to lift your leg closer to your chest, like when you’re walking up stairs. It helps with other movements, too, but I want to focus on this one for now.

Why? Because most of us spend a lot of time contracting the psoas, as we’re either sitting for 40+ hours a week, or spending 6+ hours a week in derby stance. (Or both!) Which means that because our muscles work in opposing pairs (as one shortens, another one lengthens), the psoas is staying contracted while the glutes (the biggest butt muscles) and backs of thighs lengthen. Since we’re looking to keep things in balance, it only makes sense to pay attention to the muscles that are continually being shortened, right?

With that in mind, I want to introduce you to my absolute favorite release for the psoas. I’ve only had one student who didn’t feel the immediate benefit of this, and that was because he’s someone who already focuses on lengthening his psoas daily!

Why?

There’s a good chance that your psoas could use a little release/lengthening with all of the time you spend in derby stance.
Keeping the psoas flexible can help relieve and prevent low back pain.
Because deeper hip openers like pigeon pose require openness at the hip flexors to do them safely.

What to watch for:

Be sure that the block (or book) is under the back of your pelvis! The top edge of your pelvis should line up with the top edge of the block. You want bone to the the main resting on the block, not your low back or your butt.
The foot of the extended leg does not move when you try to slide your heel away from the floor.

When to practice this pose:

After skating.
Anytime, really! If your psoas is shortened from being contracted frequently (due to sitting, squatting), this will help release and lengthen it, and the pose doesn’t require warming up.

Alternatives:

If you’ve got low back issues and resting the back of your pelvis on a block will cause pain there, try doing this with your back on the floor. I’ve found that I need to focus a little more to activate the psoas in that position, but it is possible. (You could also try working with your foot a few inches off the floor in this case, but make sure it’s still firmly planted on the wall.)

— Anatomical image by Stephanie Cost.

31 May 2014

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki Posted in All Posts, Yoga for Hips, Yoga Videos With No Comments Permalink

The Great Pigeon Pose Debate

Sticky Post By Kat Selvocki On 31 May 2014 With No Comments

When I started talking to skaters about this yoga for roller derby idea, I was overwhelmed by the number of positive responses I got. People told me about their fears about not being flexible enough. They mentioned that they used to practice, but yoga classes were too expensive on top of league dues and derby gear. And from people who already practiced yoga or taught it to their leagues, they winced every time they told me about watching skaters drop down into pigeon pose.

My response: ouch.

There’s a lot of debate in the yoga world about pigeon pose and whether or not it’s safe. Pigeon can feel awesome because it helps stretch the glutes. And you do want to give your booty a stretch after all that skating! However, it can also be risky for the knees if you’re not set up properly, and it can be challenging to keep your pelvis in a stable position.

Unless I’ve spent most of a class warming students up for pigeon, I usually teach this reclined variation. It doesn’t require the same openness at the front of the thighs, and it also helps stabilize the back of the pelvis. Last but not least, if you’ve got grumpy knees, you can much more easily protect them if you work the pose on your back.

Why?

Your knees, ankles, and pelvis already take a beating from derby. This pose will focus the stretch on your derby butt without risking injury to other joints.

What to watch for:

Keep head, shoulders, and back of the pelvis on the ground. You want to keep from rounding your spine as much as possible.
Flex the crossed foot! You want it to be active, as if you were standing on it. That will protect your ankle and knee.
Take a glance down at your pelvis to make sure you’re not hiking up one hip.

When to practice this pose:

As part of your warm-up stretches
Post-practice or after a bout
Anytime, really! This pose doesn’t require any warming up.

Alternatives:

Rather than drawing the legs in toward the chest, keep one foot planted on the floor as you cross the other ankle over that thigh.

Yoga for Hips

Strengthen Your Outer Hips

Stretching Tight Hips Might Not Be the Answer

Unwind after Practice…in Bed

Sound familiar?

Hip Flexor Magic

Stop Beating Up Your Hip Flexors!

I’m going to tell you about it anyway.

Stop Beating Up Your Hip Flexors: The Long Answer

But Kickit, I Really, REALLY Can’t Just Lie There…

Your New Favorite Hip Stretch

Why?

What to watch for:

When to practice this pose:

A Little Love for Your Psoas

Why?

What to watch for:

When to practice this pose:

Alternatives:

The Great Pigeon Pose Debate

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