Category Archives: Hip Openers

Yoga basics @ LFF Tyrone 430 Tues

Hip Openers, Standing Strength, Toe Stretch

Subbing for Tee at LFF Tyrone.  It is a basics class so here we go back to the Yoga Sutras.

Pranyama: Shaja, Dirgha

Toe stretch, top of foot stretch, calf stretch, cat rolls

Sun Salutations: Basic salutation to look at safe movement from runner to Downward dog back to runner. Safe options for plank pushup to Cobra or upward facing dog.  Using blocks during this will help.

Standing strength: Wide Leg forward fold and looking at alignment of hips and feet. Triangle, side angle, Warrior 2, 1/2 moon, Deviasana, Skanda.

Balance:  Tree & Dancer  

Hip openers pigeon/swan with added thigh stretch, double pigeon, twists and forward folds.

Aromatherapy and Savasana

Aromatherapy blend is Shanti Blend from Yoga Flow Oils thank you Susan

Open Hearts with backbends, inversions. Tues 745p

Heart Openers, Hip Openers

Had a request to go back to some more backbends with inversion of plow so tonight is the night.

Pranayama: Standing Dirgha, Sun Breath and Breath of Joy

Two reg Sun Salutaions not real slow to warm up the body.

Balance: Vrksasana (Tree), Star, Natarajasana (Dancer)

Raja Kapotasana (pigeon) to open the hips. Bhujangasana (Cobra) work, Paripurna Navasana (prone boat), Dhanurasana (Bow), Ustrasana (Camel),Setubandhasana Sarvangasana (Bridge), Urdhva Dhanurasna (Wheel), Halasana (Plow), Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby), Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Cobbler)

Janu Sirsasana twists & FF  Mermaid,  aromatherapy, Savasana

Aromatherapy is Open Heart of course from Yoga Flow Oils thank you Susan

Strengthening the arms & moving the spine. Thurs

Hip Openers, Spinal Flows, Standing Strength, Upper Body Strength

Prananyama:  Supine in Bridge prep moving with the breath to slowly fill the lungs while also waking the spine with bridge rolls.

Supta Tadasana using different arm movements to lengthen the side body and open the shoulders. Rolling like a ball to warm the spine.  Reverse table to build strength and openness in the upper body as well as balance & strength in the legs.  Cross squat to cat and cat rolls.  From cat moving to opposite arm and leg balance.  Hip circles. Thread the needle for the  shoulders as well as half dog.

Downward facing dog, pigeon,  swan rolls for hips and spine. Chair with Chair twist and balance.

Warrior 1, Revolved Triangle, Pyramid.  Eagle balance, wide leg forward fold, Skanda, forearm plank, forearm dog, side plank with many options.  Face down shoulder opener.

Dandasana, seated forward fold, Navasana, seated wide leg forward fold. Janu Sirsasana with twist, mermaid stretch, cobbler, cobbler/star forward fold.  Aromatherapy and Savasana.

Aromatherapy tonight will be Dharma blend from Yoga Flow Oils thank you Susan 8)

Watching the breath flow with the Asanas mon

Core Work, Hamstrings, Hip Openers, Toe Stretch, Yoga Moves

Having a blended class tonight with beginners class, Tri Yoga class, and Wanda’s advanced class all together in one room….. what fun.  😉

Pranayama: Dirgha (long/complete breath)  Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril/channel clearing breath)  Anuloma Viloma (Nadi Shodhana with holding the breath in at top of inhale for count of 3).  Observing the quality of the breath and just allowing the body to receive the breath. 

Toe Stretch with arm movements as well at top of foot stretch.  Noticing how these relate to our asana postures.  Toe stretch  we see in Plank, Raised Runner, Balance and even just our normal walking gate pattern.  Top of foot stretch will stretch the whole top of the foot. The whole top of the foot should be able to come to the floor. This is needed for many postures a few are: Vajrasana, Virasana, Camel, Cobra, Cat, reverse plank, triangle, headstand, handstand, shoulderstand etc…..

Calf stretch with a little look at arm work similar to what we do in TriYoga with Cat Bows.  Cat rolls with fire hydrant hip circles.  Reverse table work adding in the harder work of cradle with the legs if this was what your body called for tonight, this adds more work to the hamstring of the opposite leg (as many of you discovered). 😮

Abdominal work of Navasana (Boat) and Ardha Navasana.  The abdominal bent knee twist Continue reading Watching the breath flow with the Asanas mon →

Breath, Hips and Hamstring Fri

Hamstrings, Hip Openers, Toe Stretch

Back from training and I learned how important it is to open the hips using the breath. I usually don’t have enough time in an hour class to do hip work, but we will try to open as much as possible.

Pranayama will start with Dirgha the complete or long breath.

Toe stretch with sun breath with a short hold at the top to get a little charge of prana.

Calf stretch with an added arm work to help build strength in the arms.  Side body stretch and Marjariasana (cat) rolls.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) with a little stretch added in.  Adho Mukha Svanasana variation to Raja Kapotasana  variation (King Pigeon Variation, or Swan) add blocks and thigh stretch.

The new hip openers are brought back for one last week then Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) to Marjariasana (Cat) with hip circles.  Anajeyasana (runner) with twists.

Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide leg forward fold) with added twist perhaps Skanda will flow into here.

Tri Yogas penguin & frog with squashed frog 😛   Wide Leg Tortoise (Tri Yoga), Balasana (child),  Baddha Konasana (Cobbler), Upavista Konasana (seated wide leg forward fold) seated Malasana( squat 1).

Apply aromatherapy of Ananda blend from Yoga Flow Oils thank you Susan.

Roll down to Supta Padangusthasana (reclined hamstring stretch with strap)

Ananda Balasna (happy baby),  Apanasana (knees to chest), Jathara Parivartanasana (reclined twist), Apanasana (knees to chest), Savasana  😮

Breathing deep into the hips and hamstring. Tues

Hamstrings, Hip Openers

After 6 days of pranayama teacher training we will be breathing deeply into the stretches tonight.  With deep hip openers the need  for deep breaths will be apparent.  Slow  deep work tonight.

Pranayama:  over 2 blocks,  Dirgha (long breath), box breath

Starting on the back with Jathara Parivartanasana (supine twist) to cradle with a twist, hip rotations. Finding the abdominal  muscles with Tias Little work that we haven’t explored for awhile.  Roll up then roll like a ball.

(Purvottanasana variation (reverse table) work and seated cradle work (Raja Kapotasana variation). Cross squat to Marjariasana (cat), cat rolls.   Raja Kapotasana variation (Swan or king pigeon), Anajeyasana (runner) with hip openers.   Tri Yogas penguin & frog with squashed frog 😛  Balasana (child),  Sukasana variation (pelvis leveler).

Aromatherapy oils here before continuing with the openings. Supta Padangusthasana (supine hamstring stretch) with a weight plate on the other thigh to hold it down.  Ananda Balasana (happy baby),  Supta Baddhakonasana (supine cobbler), savasana (tranquility).

Aromatherapy: Open Heart by Yoga Flow Oils thank you Susan.

Tri Yoga mixing it up with Hatha blend Thurs

Hip Openers, Shoulder Openers, Toe Stretch

Subbing Sandi’s class today.

Pranayama practice over 2 blankets to open the shoulders, heart and chest.

Leg lifts and hip rotations, supine twist to feel how the external hip muscles are doing. Cradle work with a twist. Fingers in the sand shoulder opening.

 Spinal rolls,  a flow of Cats, Downward Dogs, thread the needle and side bends. Standing neck & shoulder openers.  10 churnings to Doug Keller shoulder work on wall. Releasing the shoulder work with shoulder openers using a strap to assist.  Polishing off the shoulders with Karin Stephan’s back bending using a dowel. Chair on the wall to build strength in the legs.

New hip openers to really open the external hip rotators yum yum yoga 😮

Twists, Forward folds.

Aromatherapy: Relaxing Blend from yoga flow oils thank you Susan. 8)

Moving and grooving to yoga flows. Fri

Hip Openers, Spinal Flows, Upper Body Strength

Pranayama: Dirgha, Nadi Shodhana

Opening the feet right away along with the shoulders, mind and heart.  😛

10 churnings, Sun Salutation with dolphin planks added in to strengthen the upper body, side planks with twists. Balance standing padangusthasana 2 times holding the foot if possible.

Warrior 1 to Warrior 3  moving to Revolved Triangle, Revolved 1/2 moon, Pyramid posture interal leg work as well as twists.

Cobra work for the back and abs this also help the shoulders from rolling forward. Re-balances the body. Facedown shoulder stretch.  Double pigeon and 1/2 cow face to finish the open hips

Aromatherapy: Shanti Blend from Yoga Flow Oils thank you Susan

Savasana

Stirring up the body with 10 churnings and more Thurs

Hip Openers, Standing Strength, Toe Stretch, Upper Body Strength

Pranayama  Dirgha, Sun breath 😀

Sun Salutations with Swan, Hip openers, Warrior 1 with breath and twist.

Balance: Shiva dance

Standing strength tonight will have some balance in it with 1/2 moon. The we will do the upper body strengthener from a squat to extended leg stretch.  Hand balance.

Double pigeon and a few twists and forward folds

Aromatherapy tonight Relaxing Blend from Yoga Flow oils thank you Susan.

Let’s twist again then balance for fun. Tues

Core Work, Hip Openers, Standing Strength

Prananyama: Dirgha, Kapalabhati slow.

Opening the shoulders before Wild Thing and Belly of the Dragon.  One more week of the hip stretches that every one loves and makes faces at. 🙂   Working the core with Dolphin and side planks with twists to really work the whole abdominal area including the obliques.

Standing strength the regular series with 1/2 moon for balance. Then we are going to deepen the balance aspect by working into Warrior 3, Warrior 1, Revolved Triangle, Revolved 1/2 moon.  These are difficult postures that one must have an inward focus to find your breath and freedom in the posture. Where is the edge between opening and force, the line between stretch and too much effort? The mind and body will serve up a feast of feelings, each breath another chance to deepen and release into the posture or time to back out.

More twists.

Aromatherapy will be Dharma from Yoga Flow Oils.. thank you Susan

Savasana           See you all in 2 weeks.  Many blessings