Somatic Yoga for Tight Hips & Low Back

Tension in the hips and low back often builds slowly, from long hours of sitting, standing or repetitive movements. This somatic practice offers a gentle way to release that holding through slow, mindful movements and simple awareness.

No forcing. No stretching to the edge. Just steady, supportive movement that helps your hips feel more open, at ease, and responsive.

Transcript

And just notice here to begin, Let's start with the breath in the body. You can bring the hands onto the body if that feels a little bit more grounding, Helps you really connect with your experience of your body in space. And really feel and notice your breath. And then begin to notice the points of the body that are connected to the floor. So you can scan from your feet up to your head or from your head down to your feet. And when you get to about the backs of the legs, The glutes, The low back, Just notice what points of the body are resting on the floor, Which are lifted away. There's a natural curve in the back of the body and the front of the body. So not everything is going to be imprinted all the way on the mat. But you're just noticing how comfortable is it to lie here, What points are touching the floor. If you can feel tension in the body, If there's a lot of tension in the low back, It might be arched up very high. There's a lot of tension in the hip flexors, Same thing. You may really feel some tension here in the front. Soften the hands down by the sides. Whenever you get to the shoulders, Check into the back. When you get to the neck, You can roll the head from side to side. Just gently noticing your range of motion. We're paying attention to which muscles contract and which lengthen. So muscles are contracting and shortening and they're engaging and lengthening or releasing and stretching. This is one of the reasons we move so slowly in somatics is, First of all, You don't need a lot of repetitions if you're really mindful of the movement. And are moving slowly. But moving more slowly also helps us really notice the muscles in the body, The connections between the muscle chains, The fascia of the body, And how everything works together to create movement. Take a deep breath in through the nose. Let it go. And notice what areas of the body might feel like there's more sensation held there. So that could be like a numbness or a heaviness, Could be tingling, Could be heat. What parts of the body, So upper body, Lower body, Torso, Low back, Right arm versus left arm? Where is most of the sensation held? Can you kind of tap in and feel an area? Once you've noticed that, Notice another area of the body where there's less sensation. Notice an area that, Instead of feeling hot, Tight, Heavy, Tingly, Feels more open, More spacious, Cooler, And at ease. Really connect with that feeling of openness in the body. And notice that both can be present at the same time. So the entire body is not tense and heavy and tight and numb and tingly. And the entire body is not relaxed and open and light, That both are present at the same time. And then sometimes I will kind of coach my nervous system. And help the more tense areas of the body where I tend to hold stress, Notice the more ease-filled areas of my body. And just affirm for myself that it's okay to let go. It's okay to relax even just a little bit more. And it's okay if my body wants to hold on to that tension right now and isn't ready to let it go. Notice how you're arriving right where you are. All of it belongs and all of it is temporary and always changing. Take a deep breath in through the nose. Exhale through the mouth with a sigh. So that one more time, Taking a deep breath in through the nose, Pausing at the top, Retaining the breath. And then really take your time exhaling through pursed lips. Make that exhale long and slow. One more time, Just like that. Lovely. All right, Start to bring some movement into the body now. Okay, Just moving the hands overhead, Making these angel movements. Excuse me. With the arms, Noticing the range of motion in those shoulder joints. And then we got a request for upper back. And neck and shoulders will definitely bring that in. And then rocking the knees from side to side. So bring the feet underneath the knees, Knees bent, And let those knees just windshield wiper gently from side to side. Noticing how this feels in the hip flexor, The obliques in the side waist, In the IT band, The hips, The piriformis. Right and left. Bring the knees back to center. Let the knees open like butterfly wings, Just noticing those adductor muscles here on the insides of the thighs. Letting one knee open and close, Checking in with the opposite side. Noticing left from right. And the knees come back together. Press the low back into the floor. Use the hands to draw the knees in close, Rock from side to side. And we'll draw these little gentle circles with the knees. Notice the navel here engaged. So I can take my hands off of my knees, Press the low back into the floor and engage the belly to circle the knees around. Moving in one direction and the other. And then go ahead and release the feet to the floor. Let the arms rest by the sides. We're going to start out with simple arch and flatten of the low back and we'll build from there. So inhale, Let the belly puff up and then arch the low back. Notice how the chin dips down toward the heart and the pelvis tips down and away towards the heels. And if you reach your hands underneath your low back, You'll feel that arch get higher in the lumbar spine. And then exhale, Soften, Release. Feel the hands press down into the mat. Low back flattens but comes neutral. And just completely relax. And then as you inhale again, This time draw the navel down toward the spine and press the low back into the floor. You'll feel the pelvis tilt up and in. Maybe there's a little engagement here in the quads and the hip flexors, But really focusing on tightening the belly in order to press that low back flat. And notice how the throat kind of opens here, The chin bobs back. And then inhale, Gently release, Come back to neutral. You can bring your hands onto your hip points and just kind of notice here the bottom of the ribcage with your thumb and the pointer fingers can touch down on the pelvis. As you inhale and roll that pelvis forward, Feel that gap widen as the low back arches. Chin nods down toward the heart. Exhale back to neutral. Feel that gap between the four fingers. And the thumb soften and close. Shorten maybe is the word. And then as you inhale, Draw down the belly to press that low back down. Feel those fingertips knit closer together. Press the low back into the mat. And then inhale, Softly, Gentle release. So that's the arch and flatten of the low back. And now we're going to add in some arms. So if you'll bring your elbows out about shoulder height with the hands in the air, The hands will be up over top of your elbows and the palms will face down towards your feet. And then as you inhale, Arch the low back and let the hands fall back towards the ears. So backs of the hands come down on either side of the heart. Elbows and wrists stay in line. Low back arches. Exhale, Gently release. Let the hands lift back up over the elbows as the back comes to neutral. Let's do that one more time. Inhale, Arch the low back, Roll the pelvis down toward the heels. Hands soften back towards the ears. This time, Press the backs of the hands, The elbows, And the shoulders into the mat as you arch that low back a little bit more strongly. And then exhale, Slowly soften and release everything. Hands float back up over the elbows. Low back lengthens. Might feel some little pops, Some little adjustments, Maybe some muscle twitches as tension releases. And there's space in the vertebrae. And now we'll do the low back flattens. So make gentle fists with your hands. Just curl the fingers down towards the palms. As you inhale, Draw that navel down, Tightening the core and pressing the low back into the floor. And this time, The hands will come down toward the hips. So make those soft fists, Let the elbows rotate. Notice how your shoulder points are coming up off of the floor. You can lift the head as well and tuck the chin in toward the heart. And now press the fists and the elbows down into the floor. And exhale, Release. Low back lengthens, Shoulders soften, Head comes back to the floor, Hands float back up over the elbows. Take a deep breath. Exhale. Inhale, Draw that navel down again. Let the hands float down towards the heels. Head lifts up off of the floor as that belly really engages to press the low back down. Press the fists, Press the elbows. Feel the shoulder points here in the front kind of knit together. Feel that entire front body engage this time. And then really slowly this time to the count of eight. Release the low back, Release the head down, Lift the arms with the elbows still on the floor. Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Let everything go. Stretch the upper body out long. Let the legs relax. The moments in between the movements are even more important than the movements themselves. We're giving the body the opportunity to learn, To release, And to melt away the tension. Bend the knees, Bring the feet back to the floor underneath the knees. We'll bring the elbows out by the sides again. So elbows in line with the shoulders or a little lower than the shoulders if it's not comfortable to have the elbows that high. Hands hover over the elbows. We're going to bring in a bridge for the next portion. So we'll start by curling the low back down. So pressing the low back into the floor, Engaging that belly. And then inhale and just lift the hips. Keep the core engaged. And imagine there's a ball or a block between the knees that you're holding. So we're not letting the knees press in together. We're not letting them fall out wide. We're really going to engage the glutes, The adductor muscles, The hamstrings, And the glutes here. Exhale, Soften, Release. Release the low back. Take a breath. On your next inhale, Press the low back down into the mat. Lift the hips. Let the hands fall back. Palms are open up toward the ceiling on either side of the ears. Hips are lifted. Press the elbows and the backs of the shoulders into the mat even as you press into the heels and lift the hips. And then to the count of eight, Slowly release. Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Hips release to the mat. Low back lengthens and softens. Hands hover over the elbows. All right, One more time. Inhale, Flatten the low back. Lift the hips. Let the hands fall back towards the ears. Press the backs of the hands and the elbows into the mat. Lift the hips, Keeping that low back flattened and lengthened down toward the floor. Exhale to the count of eight to slowly release everything. Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Release the hands out by the sides. Stretch the legs out long and breathe. These deep breaths, You may have some rumbles in your stomach. Just as the body moves into that rest and digest. Maybe the head can nod from side to side here, Releasing any tension in the mat. Take a few more breaths there. I'm just going to check comments. Okay, Great. No questions. Good. All right. So let's do one or two more things that will help with both upper body and lower body. We'll start with bringing the feet again back to the floor. And then stretch your left leg out long. So right foot is underneath the knee. And we'll lengthen the left arm alongside the ear. Actually, Let me build up to this. Let's start with the right leg. Let's start with the hip curls first. And then we'll add on. It'll be a little more clear that way. So bring both feet underneath the knees. Let the hands rest by the sides. The sacrum, The low back is the hips are resting on the floor. The low back is neutral. So we're not arching. We're not flattening. We're right here relaxed in the middle. And we're going to focus instead of arching and flattening the low back. We're going to tilt the hips from side to side, Keeping the sacrum pressed into the mat or gently resting on the mat. To do that, Roll your head towards your right shoulder. Look down towards your heel. And then as you inhale, We'll cock that right hip up towards the shoulder. So hips stay connected with the ground. You feel that right side body shorten. So you'll feel your obliques contract. At the same time, Your left side body just got longer. So you'll feel a lengthening and a stretch in the hip flexors on the left side. And you'll feel a shortening and a contraction on the right side. You can even reach that right hand down towards the right heel and roll the head more strongly to the right. And then exhale gently, Softly. Come back to center. And then we'll switch sides. So roll your head over towards your left shoulder, Like you're looking down at your left heel. And then cock that left hip up and in towards left shoulder. You can reach the left hand down towards the heel. Feel that contraction in the obliques on the left side body. Feel the lengthening in the right side. Inhale, Come back to center. Move at your own pace. Alternating from side to side. So shortening one side as the other side lengthens, Maybe reaching down toward the heel. Exhaling back to center. And then switching sides. Do that a few more times. Really notice the two halves of the pelvis, The low back, The sacrum there. I'm working some mobility into the hips, Really engaging the obliques. And then we're going to exaggerate this movement a little bit. So come back to center. Roll the head to the right. Shorten that right rib cage. Reach down for the right heel at the same time. On the left side, Which is longer now, Lift that left hip up off of the floor a little bit. That left knee will kind of scooch forward. Left hip will come up just a fraction of an inch, And you'll feel a lengthening through this whole left side body. It's almost like you're trying to do like a funny shuffle walk. Exhale back to center. Let it go. Inhale, Roll the head to the left. Reach down for that left heel. Cock that left hip up as you feel that right hip lengthen. Press into the heel to lift the right glute up off of the floor. Left glute stays down. Exhale back to center. This is kind of a funny thing to describe, But once you start to feel it into your body, You can really feel the two halves of the pelvis kind of shifting and moving. Inhale and switch sides. Lengthening on the left, Contracting on the right. Move at your own pace. One more time on each side. So lengthening my right side body, Reaching down for the heel as I, Or shortening my right side of the body as I press that left heel up, Or press the left hip up by pressing on the heel. Back to center. Inhale, Reach the left hand down for the left heel. Really engage the obliques. Feel that length in the right side body. Press the right hip up just slightly so the glute kind of hovers off of the floor. And then exhale back to center. Stretch everything long and rest. So we'll move on to the portion that I was gonna start on earlier. Let's start with that right heel underneath the knee. So bend the right knee, Let that left leg stretch out long, And then bring the left arm up alongside the ear. Right hand stays down by the side. Gonna do the same movement, This time with the left leg long and the left arm lengthened. So as you inhale, Roll that left leg up. Head to the right. Cock that right hip up towards the right shoulder. Reach down with the right hand. At the same time, Let that knee fall over in the opposite direction. So feel that contraction on the right side of the body and then feel a lengthening on the left side as the right knee crosses over. Inhale, Come back to center. Take a breath. Inhale, Look over your right shoulder. Cock the right hip up toward the right shoulder. Reach the right fingers down for the right heel. Feel the entire right side of the body contract as the left side lengthens. Reach the fingertips away. Point the toes away. Lengthen on the left side. Let that right knee fall over toward the left. Exhale, Release. Do that one more time. Inhale, Guide the knee across the body as the right hand reaches down for the right heel. Left fingertips reach away from the left toes. Gauge that side body. Exhale, Release. Bring the left hand down by the side. Stretch the right leg long. Take a few breaths. Relax just a little bit more before we move on to the other side. Drag that left heel up the mat so it's underneath the knee. Bring the right arm alongside the ear. Right leg stays nice and long. Inhale, Look over towards the left. Reach the left hand down towards the left heel. As the left hip comes up, Contracting this whole side of the body, Reach the right fingertips away from the right heel and toes. Left knee crosses over in the opposite direction. Inhale and release. Inhale, Look over that left shoulder. Reach down for the left heel. Knee crosses over as the opposite side of the body lengthens. One more time. Come back to Shavasana. Take a breath. You may have some muscle twitches and tremors as tension releases, Especially if it's your first time doing this practice. That's completely normal. It shouldn't be painful. It just is a little surprising and it's involuntary, So it might just feel a little funny, Those muscle twitches. Just breathe through it. If the movements feel jerky and there's stuttery movements, Then just really slow down the muscle release. Pay attention to your breath and really let your awareness be fully engaged in both the contraction and the release. Before we move on to focus even more on the hips, We're going to take this starfish position. So open the arms, Making like an X of your body. And then we're going to reach the left hip away and the right arm in the opposite direction. You can kind of lift both up off of the floor and reach them away and then exhale and release. Opposite sides, Right leg reaches away and lengthens. Left hand reaches away and lengthens. And release. Inhale, Left foot, Right hand reach away and release. Inhale, Right foot hovers, Reaches away, Left hand hovers, Reaches away and release. Bring the hands back down by the sides. Take a breath. And then we're going to roll over on to one side. So come on to, I'm coming on to my left side. Go ahead and get your blanket or your pillow to support the neck. We just want the head to be more or less in line with the spine. Scooch the hips to the back of the mat, Bring the knees and the ankles to the front of the mat. And then the hand, The top arm can either rest here or on the hip, Whatever is most comfortable. Work on internal and external rotation and release of the hips. To do that, We will press the top foot down onto the bottom foot and lift the top knee. You're lifting just enough that you feel a contraction in the abductor muscles here. You may feel some work on the inside, The adductor muscles as well. Feel that contraction. And then to the count of eight, Slowly release the top knee down to the bottom knee. Five, Four, Keep that contraction, Three, Two, One. Feel that engagement, Slowly release and soften. Press the top knee down into the bottom knee, Lift the top foot. Feel the adductor muscles on the inside of the hip engage. You're still gonna feel this as an internal rotation. You're still gonna feel this in your outer hip as well. And then we're going to lift the head, Bringing the ear down towards the shoulder and feel the engagement here in the obliques. Exhale to the count of eight to slowly release both the head and the top foot at the same time. Five, Four, Three, Two, One. And breathe. Do that one more time. Press the top foot into the bottom foot, Lift the top knee, See your clamshell opening, Opening the clamshell of the two knees. Feel that contraction and engagement and then gently, Slowly, If you're resisting gravity, Really slowly let that top knee come down, Slowing down the movement. Even more if it feels jerky or stuttery, Keep breathing. Really notice what muscles are engaging and then completely soften and release. Take a breath. Inhale, Let that top knee press down into the bottom knee as the top foot lifts and opens, Moving the hip into internal rotation. At the same time, Inhale, Engage these oblique side muscles to lift the head, Bring the ear toward the shoulder. Exhale to the count of eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Let the hips relax, Let the head and neck and shoulder relax and breathe. It's a great one for SI joint pain if you tend to have tight hips and get that low back pain that can run all the way down into the knee. It's really helpful. As long as we're here on our side, Let's work on releasing our IT band a little bit here as well on the side of the hip that runs down into the knee. So we'll straighten the top leg and reach that top, So this is my right leg, Reach it down towards the bottom of the mat. The inside of the foot will rest on the floor. Let the hand rest in front of you so you have a little bit of support. And then as you inhale, We're gonna lift and hover that top leg. Notice what's engaging, See if you can lengthen the leg and press the heel away, Feel that length come all the way up into the hip. And then to the count of eight, Slowly lower the foot as you exhale. Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Soften the knee, Relax the whole leg. Let's do that again, Lengthening the top leg, This time pick up the heel and point the toe down towards the floor and shift the foot forward just a couple of inches. And then inhale, Lift the heel, Toe points down toward the floor. You may not get as high or as big of a range of motion here, And that's okay. Really noticing the glutes engaging here and then exhale slowly, Slowly. Lower the toe first to the floor. Then soften the inside of the foot, Then the heel and then soften the knee and release. Deep breath. These muscles can be really tight and so it can feel a little bit more intense. So really take your time, Maybe a smaller movement and more rest in between. One more time, We'll straighten the leg. This time pick the toes up off of the floor, Let the heel rest on the floor and shift that leg behind you a couple of inches, It may come off of the mat. So toes are pointed up, Heel is pointed down, Now lift the foot. Exhale, And as you're lowering the heel toward the floor, You're also lengthening the leg down towards the bottom of the mat. Soften the heel to the floor, Then the inside of the foot and the toe, Then soften the knee and release. Take a few deep breaths. And then make your way onto your back first, You can rest the head on the pillow if you'd like. Let the legs lengthen and release. And then bend both knees, Bring the feet to the floor. We're gonna work on our hip flexors on our back on the right side before we switch over to the other side. So inhale, Pick up your right foot and draw the knee in toward the belly, Really feel the hip flexor in the front of your hip, Engage and contract as you draw that knee in and then flex the foot, Straighten the leg like you're trying to step on the ceiling. Feel that engagement and lengthening in the hamstring. And then putting as much weight as you can in this straight leg, Staying nice and light in the left side, Reach that left heel down towards the bottom of the mat. You're lengthening the leg, Lengthening in that hip flexor, Reaching the right heel down, Down, Down, Hovering the heel over the mat for three, Two, One, Then finally softening the heel, Letting the toes fall out and really softening the entire leg. Inhale, Drag the right heel up the mat to come back underneath the right knee. We'll do that one more time. Inhale, Lift the right foot off of the floor, Pull that right knee in towards the shoulder or the heart by engaging that hip flexor and flex the toes in towards the shin. Inhale, Press that heel up toward the ceiling, Lengthening and straightening the leg like you're trying to imprint the whole bottom of the foot onto the ceiling and then start to lower and lengthen that heel down toward the floor, Keeping that leg nice and long and lightening that left leg and really engaging the right leg. Keep the low back pressed down into the floor. Reach the heel long like you're trying to make as big of a step as you can. Hover the heel over the mat, Maybe just about an inch over the mat, Three, Two, One. Feel that hip flexor engaging and lengthening at the same time and then release the heel. Soften the toes out, Let the whole leg relax. Inhale, Drag the heel on the mat to bring the heels back underneath the knees and then stretch both legs out long. So let the hands rest by your sides as kind of a lengthy sequence here. Let's take a moment to really notice the difference between the right and the left sides of the body. Notice if there's a difference between the right low back and the left low back here on the floor. What's touching the floor and what's not? And then we'll go ahead and switch sides. I'm gonna move to the other side of my mat just so my back's not turned to you, But you can just roll over. So use your blanket or pillow to support the head and keep the neck in line with the shoulders. Bring the hips back towards the back of the mat, Bring the knees towards the front. Bring the ankles directly underneath the knees and then your hand can rest on the floor or can rest on your side. Inhale, Press down the feet. So press the top foot down to open the top knee. Just notice the difference here between the left and the right sides. Slowly exhale, Release the top knee down. Notice if there's shakiness. There's definitely some shakiness on this side for me. So I'm gonna keep breathing, Move even more slowly. Take a breath. Press the top knee down into the bottom knee to lift the top foot. And then inhale, Pick up the head, Bring the ear down toward the shoulder, Engage the side body. Exhale to the count of eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, And one. Inhale to lift the top knee. Exhale to eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. And we notice the engagement of the muscles and then feel the release. Inhale to lift the head and the top foot. Exhale to release both. Inhale to lift the head and the top foot. Lengthen the leg and then press the heel as you reach the whole leg away towards the bottom of your mat and slowly release. Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Soften the knee. Lengthen that top leg again. Touch the toe down to the floor. Lift the heel. Trace the foot forward just a couple of inches. Inhale, Lift the heel. Lengthen the leg. Feel that engagement as the toes turn down toward the floor. And then as you exhale to the count of eight, Reach the leg long. Five, Four, Three, Two, One. The toe will touch down first and then the heel. Felt a little pop in my knee and my lengthening in my IT band. Soften the knees. The more sensation you feel, The more slowly you wanna release, The longer you wanna recover. Lengthen that top leg again. This time, Toes point up, Heel rests on the floor. Slide the foot behind you just a couple of inches. Lift the whole leg. Lengthen. Feel that engagement. And exhale and release. Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. I'm gonna hover here just an extra minute, Or not minute, But extra few counts. That's because I'm feeling so much sensation in this hip today. And then soften the knee and really release. Come on over onto your back. Rest for just a moment before we move on to those hip flexors. The hip flexor on the left this time. Bring both feet back to the floor. Bend the knees. Maybe tuck the tail under and lengthen the low back down toward the mat. And then we're gonna come back up. Then we'll pick up the left knee. Squeeze the left knee in toward the chest. Flex the foot. Start to straighten the leg and reach that foot up toward the ceiling. Stamping that foot on the ceiling, Really noticing here what's engaging. My hamstring is a bit tighter, And my IT band on this side can really notice the difference between the two. Keep that low back down into the floor as you lengthen the leg and lower the heel towards the bottom of your mat. Get nice and light on that right leg. Keep all the engagement in that left hamstring, Left hip flexor, And press the low back down. Reach the heel long as it comes down toward touching the mat. Hover for just a moment longer. Feel that lengthening. Exhale and release. Drag the left heel back underneath the knee. Inhale, Press the low back down into the floor. Pick up that left foot. Squeeze the knee in toward the belly. Flex the foot as you stamp the foot on the ceiling. I'm already feeling release in this leg from repetition to repetition. Reach that heel long down towards the bottom. The bottom of the mat. Getting nice and long in that leg. Keep reaching, Keep reaching, Keep reaching. Hover the heel. Feel that entire left side of the body really lengthen, And then release the heel to the floor. Inhale, Drag the heel back underneath the knee. Walk the feet out wide. Let the knees rest in together here for a moment. And then go ahead and stretch both legs out long. Rest the hands by the sides. You can leave the blanket or pillow underneath the head if you'd like. Just notice any changes from the beginning of class to the end. Between the low body and the upper body. Between the difference between the top of the body, The front of the body, And the back of the body. Right shoulder to left shoulder. Left hip to right hip. Low back to hip flexors. Find if there's any tension left. Notice if there's a bit more space there, A bit more ease. Notice what feels open in the body. Allow yourself to make room for both. And then take rest. Begin to deepen your breath. Slowly rock the head from side to side. Maybe go ahead and move the blanket or pillow out of the way. Just notice if there's any change in the neck and shoulders. Inhale, Sweep the hands overhead. Stretch long, Pressing the heels in the opposite direction. Maybe reach the right hand long and then reach the left hand long. And then bend the knees. Bring the hands down to gather the knees into the belly. Rock from side to side. Notice any tension release as you circle the knees around. Any change from the beginning to the end of class. You can bring the feet to the floor and take those windshield wipers, Letting the knees fall from side to side. Put the arms open as well. Maybe the head comes in. As the knees fall to the right, Reach that left hand away. Come back through center as the knees fall to the left. Reach that right hand away. And then bring the knees back to center. Come on over onto your favorite side and pause there for just a moment. Another deep breath. And slowly make your way up to a seat. We've been lying down this entire time, So move slowly. Come to a comfortable seat. Go ahead and bring your hands to heart center here in closing. Take another, Excuse me, Deep breath in through the nose. Exhale, Release the breath. Soften the shoulders away from the ears. One more deep breath, Just like that. Thank you for sharing your practice and your presence today. Namaste.