Principles of Emphasis
- Muscular Energy
In order to perform the next principles you need to tone the upper inner
thighs (adductors) and the outer hips.
- Inner Spiral
turns the inner thighs in, back and apart (this is achieved by the
strength of the inner thigh muscles) and sets the head of the femur bone into the hip socket. The sitting bones widen, and the butt muscles
soften their grip in order for these smaller muscles (adductors...) create the actions of inner
spiral. In asymentrical poses the back leg needs more inner
spiral.
- Outer Spiral initiates
from the tailbone scooping under + the outer hips wrapping back and toward the midline of the body. This involves the strong lateral
hip rotators (piriformis, gluteus maximus...).
When you engage Outer Spiral, make sure that the action of the butt
muscles doesn’t override the alignment action of inner spiral. In fact,
your inner thighs will need to work more so they dont collapse from the power of outer spiral. In
asymentrical poses the front leg needs more outer spiral
- Organic Energy
creates space in the joints by powerfully extending from the focal point
toward the periphery (to the ground first and then through the other limbs of the body). When the pelvis is the focal point the pelvic bones
and tailbone move down toward the earth, and the lower back and low
belly lift up toward the sky. Gluteus medius is one of the key muscles
involved in organic energy creating tons of space + stability in the hip.
·
Gluteus
maximus is the largest butt muscle, spanning from the side of the
sacrum and ilium to the femur. It’s primary function is to extend the hip, and also laterally rotates (turns out) the hip when it is extended.
This is one reason the back leg in most poses tends to have too much outer
spiral. If your leg is fixed, gluteus maximus serves to scoop the pelvis under. To feel its engagement, stand in tadasana holding your
bum and stretch one leg back behind you, extending the hip. You’ll feel
the gluteus maximus fire on that leg. Now try standing in tadasana and scooping
your pelvis under. You’ll feel both buttocks engage.
·
Gluteus
medius is located on the outer hip,
running from the outer upper hip down to the greater trochanter of the thigh
bone. It’s primary role is in abduction of the hip, moving the leg away from
the midline. To feel it, try standing in tadasana with both hands on your
outer hips. Lift one leg straight out to the side to feel gluteus medius do the
lifting.
·
Piriformis, gemellus superior, obturatur internus, gemellus inferior, obturatur externus and quadratus femoris
(deep 6 hip rotators): a group of six deep hip muscles that all contribute to lateral/external
rotation of the hip. The main one is the piriformis, will
contract (and spasm) in an attempt to stabilize the hip when the inner
thigh/outer hip team is not doing its job. Piriformis happens to sit right on
top of the sciatic nerve, and so when it’s tight it can cause a shooting nerve
pain down the leg (also known as piriformis syndrome). It can also jam the sacro-iliac joint by pulling on the sacrum when it spasms. Thesemuscles sit under gluteus maximus and they all attach to the inside of the inside of the greater trochanter and then they fan out to different locations around the low pelvis. Since all of these turn the leg outword (contribputing to feet turned out and stronger outer hips and weaker inner thighs) the way you stretch them is by rotating the leg in... Welcome inner spiral. To feel them do a syemetrical pose and get inner spirla really well estabilied taking the toned inner thighs in back and wide and then maintain outer spiral.
The Sequence:
1.
Tadasana: In
tadasana have students feel glutes maximus and medius fire.
2. Tadasana: Use a
block between your inner thighs to feel the adductors fire and rotate the inner
thighs in, back and wide. Then add outer spiral scoping tail bone under and
wraping outer hips back and toward the midline. Powerfully root down from the
pelvis through the feet. Notice how the gluteus medius (outer hip) fires to
assist in this action. When it does, you’ll feel a natural spaciousness and
lift up out of the pelvis. Keeping the block between your thighs move through Sun
A3x
3. Parsvottanasana: On the back leg side, the thigh
and outer hip will tend to rotate outward, while the front naturally turns more
inward with the hip jutting out to the side. (This is the common collapse in all asymmetrical poses so the back leg
will need more Inner Spiral to find balance, and the front leg will need more
Outer Spiral and Organic Energy.) Inner spiral the legs especially the back leg
then add strong outer spiral by wrapping the front hip around and under WITHOUT
losing the action of the inner thighs.
Then press from your pelvic bones down through your legs into the floor. You’ll
feel gluteus medius fire, especially on the front leg.
4. Mod. Utthita hasta padangustasana holding knee: Start with an easy variation, just bringing one leg up with
the knee bent and holding the front of the knee with both hands. With the legs
strong and the inner thighs pressing back, now use your butt muscles to anchor
the pelvis more. Especially work the gluteus medius on that standing leg,
extending from the outer hip all the way down into the heel, and you’ll get a
simultaneous lift up out of the pelvis. Hold this pose on each side until you
feel that outer hip muscle start to tire.
5. Vrksasana
6. Standing
pigeon- elbows in front of shin. Kick shin
into the resistence of the elbows pulling back to fire glute
7. Standing
pigeon- galavasana
8. Trikonasana: Like
most asymmetrical poses, the front hip in trikonasana tends to get bound up.
Try the pose with your bottom hand up on a block, so you have extra room to
create good action through the front leg. Once you set up the legs with good
Muscle Energy and Inner Spiral, activate your butt muscles to draw the front
hip under more. This will clear space in the hip joint. Then extend organically
from the pelvis through the legs into the earth, using gluteus medius in
particular to root more down into the front leg. Remove the block when your
front hip feels spacious enough to do so
9. Ardha chandrasana: As
a standing balance, this is a great pose to work on both gluteus maximus and
medius. Gluteus maximus (and the other lateral rotators) will provide a
wrapping energy from the outer front hip toward the midline and under, while
gluteus medius gives you the extension downward out of the hip that you need to
avoid collapsing the pelvis onto the thigh bone.
10. Partner Ardha Chandrasana:a
nice assist to help feel this is to have them press downward on your outer top
hip, so that you get more rooted into the floor, and as you get more rooted,
lift back up into their hand.
11. Virabhadrasana 3 and Urdhva prasarita ekapadasana (aka
standing splits): These poses are fun, as they are
great ways to build the gluteus maximus (back leg) while strengthening gluteus
medius (standing leg). Start in tadasana with hands on your hips, and with both
feet on the floor just shift your weight over to your right foot. Even before
lifting the left foot off the floor, extend organically downward from the pelvis
into the standing foot (that’s your outer hip, gluteus medius). Then lift the left leg back up (gluteus
maximus). The inner thigh on that
back leg will have to work strongly to balance the lateral rotation that comes
along with the firing of gluteus maximus. Hold Vira 3 for a few breaths, and
then tip all the way forward to standing splits. Balance the action
between the inner thigh lifting and the butt muscles working on the back leg,
while extending fully downward out of the hip in the front leg.
12. Spastic Pose: Start in uttanasana holding the big toes in yogic toe lock
(first two fingers around the toe, thumb pressing into the floor). Engage the
legs, especially by hugging the midline, and then widen the inner thighs back
and apart. Shift your weight onto one foot as you lift the other leg straight
out to the side. Gluteus medius, as an abductor, gets a workout on the lifted
leg, while, as a stabilizer, gets a workout on the standing leg. If it’s weak,
you’ll see why this one was nicknamed “spastic pose.”
- Parivrtta Trikonasana and Parivrtta Parsvakonasana: The twisted poses require a lot of strength in the
butt muscles to keep the hips squared to the front. The lift of the inner
back thigh, and the action of gluteus maximus on that back leg as you move
into the twist) will help keep the back hip from dropping. On the front
leg side, use your butt muscles to pull the outer hip back and under, and
to extend more through the legs.
- Hanumanasana
- Butt massage - Eka pada rajakapotasana 1: good inner spiral needs
to be set up in order to stretch the front outer hip muscles to the
fullest. Start with a smaller angle in the front leg with the foot pointed
this set up will be easier to access the inner spiral of the back leg.
After finding that move deeper into the pose bringing the knee in line
with the foot. In this variation the front foot will be flexed.
- Setubandha with [block]: with backbends, the legs naturally tend to rotate
outward, jamming the thighs forward and, ultimately, compressing the lower
back. So instead, get your inner thighs toned and flowing back (using a
[block] between your upper inner thighs will help create that awareness),
and then activate those butt muscles, extending them out toward your knees
without over-riding the power of the inner thighs. This will create
tremendous freedom in the lower back.
- Ardha matsyendrasana (and other seated twists): In the front hip (the side to which you are
twisting) will tend to lift off the floor if the gluteus medius and the
other butt muscles aren’t working. Really tack that hip down to lengthen
up and out of the pelvis and take a twist.
18. Bhaddha Konasana with [block] use block between feet
2 mins on each side then soles of the feet together
No comments:
Post a Comment