Hip openers powerfully stimulate and balance the muladhara, or root chakra. By physically rooting our pelvic floor and the base of our spine into the Earth, we plug ourselves into the vibrational current of the planet. It also activates the sacral chakra, Svadisthana, which is translated as dwelling in a place of the self. This energy center relates to fun, freedom, creativity, flexibility, and pleasure. When we open our hips, we restore our reproductive organs, which at a base level represent the original force creating existence. Through creating balance in these chakras we can become grounded, comfortable within our own identity, inherently creative, and flexible in changing environments, not excessively holding on to what you thought before. Before you start this practice, meditate on something you would like to let go of that you feel prevents you from expressing yourself fully.
Each asana holds meaning that’s intended to connect us to our deeper beings. This hip opening flow ends with Hanumanasana, the yogic name to the famous front splits. Hanuman, the ancient Monkey God in the mythological times, was famous for his powerful leaps, as he was able to jump over South India to Sri Lanka to rescue Sita, the Queen, who was kidnapped by the Lord of Darkness. Such leap is memorialized in the pose. Similar to Hanuman’s devotion in saving the queen, this asana expresses the expansiveness possible when you fully commit to your practice.
This flow will focus on the following major movements and muscular engagements:
(1) Opening the Hamstrings
(2) Opening the Hip Flexors
(3) Lengthening Your Stride
(4) Engagement of Glutes, Pelvic Floor, Psoas, and Core
(5) Keeping the spine neutral while performing all (important to prevent lower back injury, don’t go into anterior tilt).
It’s important to note that any hip opening pose must be approached with humility, even if you’re already quite flexible. Many flexible people further stretch their already-open hamstrings but allow their pelvis to tip forward (anterior tilt). This creates an imbalance and leads to lower back pain when students attempt, as they should, to lift the spine.
Hanumanasana requires the work of the hips and hamstrings, while balancing the upper body on the pelvis. With the hips and the legs moving in opposite directions, the hip flexors and hamstrings need to be strong and flexible to attain the required balance and stability.
Warmup (5 mins)
- Table Top Cat Cow (1 min)
- Table top with leg pulsing on each side (1 min)
- 5 rounds of Surya Namaskar A (3 mins)
Main Sequence
Standing Sequence (25 minutes)
- Prasarita Padottanasana ABCD (3 minutes)
- Parsvottanasana
- Praying hands (1 minute)
- Hugging and kissing knee (1 minute)
- Surya Namaskar A Half til Downward Dog (30 seconds)
- Vinyasa on Both sides: Downward dog – Three legged downdog with knee flexing- Active pigeon- Sleeping Pigeon- Child’s Pose- Repeat on left side (6 minutes)
- Vinyasa on Both sides: High lunge- Warrior 1- Skandasana- Warrior 2- Birds of paradise- Tadasana (8 minutes)
- Surya Namaskar A Half til Downward Dog (30 seconds)
- Lizard pose + Quad Stretch Both sides (2 minutes)
- Active Malasana (2 minutes)
- Active Malasana Level 2: For more adduction stretch, step on the blocks while still pushing the thighs back and engaging hamstrings
- Active Malasana Level 3: place forearm and palm flat on the ground, flap legs sideways
- Goddess Pose (1 minute)
Seating Sequence (10 minutes)
- Paschmitonasana A (1 minute)
- Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana Both sides (2 minutes)
- Triang Mukha Eka Pada admotanasana (2 minutes)
- Split drills with blocks (Get two blocks. Put them near your pelvis. Keep on placing one block in front of another until you extend your arms to its maximum. Once arms are at maximum, fold forward) (2 minutes)
- Hanumanasana (3 minutes)
- Focus on leveling the pelvis instead of reaching to the ground
- Keep hips squared; try to avoid going into an anterior tilt
- Press your inner thighs towards each other to help support the pelvis.
- Engage hip flexors, glutes, pelvic core, psoas, and core
Counter Pose/ Closing (5 minutes)
- Hug knees in supine pose
- Supine twist
- Shoulder stand
- Shoulderstand Lotus Pose (Padma Sarvangasana)
- Inversion: Headstand or Tripod
Shavasana (5 minutes)
