Per your request, I am happy to share with you this shortened, yoga practice, dedicated to exploring tools that will help you work towards your Full Splits!
Aside from achieving this peak pose, there are so many benefits of this practice, regardless of what you posture goals may have, or what level practitioner you would consider yourself to be. This flow is best taken as a warm-up, cool-down or add-on to another workout, as we will primarily work to increase lower-body mobility and flexibility. Even if Full Splits is not in your practice or a pose that spikes your curiosity, this video offers a variety of tools intended to lengthen + release tense hip flexors, hamstrings, calves and glutes; you may also find relief in your low back. In addition to increasing the flexibility of these muscles, we will also explore increasing hip joint mobility.
Oftentimes, the tightness in our lower-body, when addressed improperly or infrequently, can cause issues or even injury in the back, shoulders and neck; if you struggle with lower-body mobility and/or flexibility, are looking to find the root cause of tension in the body, and/or want a slower and more gentle, lower-body focused practice, then I invite you to join me on your mat! This is a great stand-alone option, as well, if you are looking for an active recovery practice. However, I would also recommend that if you are working towards your Full Splits, I (as well as many other students that I have worked with) like to take a full practice or another total-body workout beforehand, because you can access a greater depth in the stretches/postures offered when the entire body is warm. Honor what is calling to you, and remember that you can always come back to this video + give it another try!
While some stretches may feel too intense, I do offer several modifications to meet you where you’re at. While I cannot guarantee that you will have your Full Splits by the end of this practice, I can promise that these tools work with consistency and patience. Furthermore, it might be tempting to want to rush through these stretches or take them improperly in order to find a greater depth; however, this can increase your risk of injury (short-term + long-term) and you may actually stunt your progress towards achieving Full Splits. This is a pose that I have wanted to achieve for a long time, and I have been working on (inconsistently, if we’re being honest) for a while. When I go through the phases of working my tools with proper technique/alignment, and I am consistent with my work, I find a lot of improvement. However, when I stop working with my tools or practicing this peak posture because I get distracted or I get discouraged and avoid it, or I get frustrated and try to force my body into a shape that it isn’t ready for (often times compensating in another area of my body for the lack of proper technique/alignment), I feel the physical effects. I naturally have very tight hamstrings, so this posture requires more of my time and energy; I feel you, if you’re in a similar position as me. The best advice I can offer is to stick with it–even when it becomes tedious or discouraging. . . and if you fall out of your practice, just know that it happens to all of us, and that you can come right back in! These peak postures are difficult and they take time and patience to work towards; everyone’s body and experience is different, and that is a beautiful thing! Just remember, yoga isn’t about fitting yourself into a perfect posture of shape, bur rather the journey of how you get there (or don’t get there).
So whether you achieve Full Splits or not, I hope that you learn a new tool and something new about yourself/your practice; I hope you find release in your lower-body and that you find joy in taking care of your beautiful self, as well! :-)
New FB Plus Video: Power Yoga for Full Splits
Per your request, I am happy to share with you this shortened, yoga practice, dedicated to exploring tools that will help you work towards your Full Splits!
Power Yoga for Full Splits
Aside from achieving this peak pose, there are so many benefits of this practice, regardless of what you posture goals may have, or what level practitioner you would consider yourself to be. This flow is best taken as a warm-up, cool-down or add-on to another workout, as we will primarily work to increase lower-body mobility and flexibility. Even if Full Splits is not in your practice or a pose that spikes your curiosity, this video offers a variety of tools intended to lengthen + release tense hip flexors, hamstrings, calves and glutes; you may also find relief in your low back. In addition to increasing the flexibility of these muscles, we will also explore increasing hip joint mobility.
Oftentimes, the tightness in our lower-body, when addressed improperly or infrequently, can cause issues or even injury in the back, shoulders and neck; if you struggle with lower-body mobility and/or flexibility, are looking to find the root cause of tension in the body, and/or want a slower and more gentle, lower-body focused practice, then I invite you to join me on your mat! This is a great stand-alone option, as well, if you are looking for an active recovery practice. However, I would also recommend that if you are working towards your Full Splits, I (as well as many other students that I have worked with) like to take a full practice or another total-body workout beforehand, because you can access a greater depth in the stretches/postures offered when the entire body is warm. Honor what is calling to you, and remember that you can always come back to this video + give it another try!
While some stretches may feel too intense, I do offer several modifications to meet you where you’re at. While I cannot guarantee that you will have your Full Splits by the end of this practice, I can promise that these tools work with consistency and patience. Furthermore, it might be tempting to want to rush through these stretches or take them improperly in order to find a greater depth; however, this can increase your risk of injury (short-term + long-term) and you may actually stunt your progress towards achieving Full Splits. This is a pose that I have wanted to achieve for a long time, and I have been working on (inconsistently, if we’re being honest) for a while. When I go through the phases of working my tools with proper technique/alignment, and I am consistent with my work, I find a lot of improvement. However, when I stop working with my tools or practicing this peak posture because I get distracted or I get discouraged and avoid it, or I get frustrated and try to force my body into a shape that it isn’t ready for (often times compensating in another area of my body for the lack of proper technique/alignment), I feel the physical effects. I naturally have very tight hamstrings, so this posture requires more of my time and energy; I feel you, if you’re in a similar position as me. The best advice I can offer is to stick with it–even when it becomes tedious or discouraging. . . and if you fall out of your practice, just know that it happens to all of us, and that you can come right back in! These peak postures are difficult and they take time and patience to work towards; everyone’s body and experience is different, and that is a beautiful thing! Just remember, yoga isn’t about fitting yourself into a perfect posture of shape, bur rather the journey of how you get there (or don’t get there).
So whether you achieve Full Splits or not, I hope that you learn a new tool and something new about yourself/your practice; I hope you find release in your lower-body and that you find joy in taking care of your beautiful self, as well! :-)