HIPS OVERDOSING
There is a Universe unfolding.
When you think about the hips area you need to consider it's connection with:
life nerve (sciatic nerve), sex nerve (inner thighs), lower back, sacrum area (very lower back), elimination as well as navel center* then diagram, chest and the entire spine.
Therefore, a proper physical practice is made of strength, stretch, breath and focus components.
It is important to open and work through a well combined-multisegmental discipline in order to act on more than one joint for a balanced practice.
Body is intra-connected.
Although learning through the consciousness path may seem boring, while getting concepts -> boom - intuitively - is more enjoyable;
by the way to rely on solid bases stabilizes the understanding.
HERE YOU HAVE A QUICK EASY MANUAL FOR THE HIPS PRACTICE.
Each joint has a multiple range of motions (depending on the type of joint, more movements are available) then, as you open on one direction - we focus on the hips here - it has resemblance on the other directions.
You can for instance be very comfortable in external rotation postures but, if there is no balance, when it comes to turn the hips the other way you feel restricted.
So the movement can be at the -> same joint,
but -> different direction, involving-> different muscles and different lines of pull.
Every asana (a part from few inversions) - and Ashtanga Vinyasa sequence - involve hips opening.
We break it down into a little analytic section.
As the hips articulations have very heavy ligaments it is quite dramatic to hurt them
but, thankfully,
things happen around the hips during the practice when those are overused, overcontracted, there are muscle spasms rather than injury itself .
- External rotation: muscles (piriformis "& friends") which are buried, coming across and joining the greater trochanter of the femur.
If you have pain here, there might be an imbalance between external and medial (inward) rotation muscles.
- If you have pain coming down from the upper leg, hamstring and down, which feels similar to sciatica (as the sciatic nerve goes underneath and more rarely across the
piriformis muscle),
then practice asanas which work on the medial rotation (as triang mukha eka pada pashimottanasana),
if you feel hurting or pinching do not push too much but just ease and loosen up into different range of motions.
- If the discomfort is at the top of the hip, still around the back at the gluteus medium and minimum (responsible for the medial rotation and abduction) - those are stability muscles -
they might be weak or overused so they get tight and they restrict the movement in the opposite direction (external rotation).
Do trikoṇasana, parivrtta trikonasana
and utkatasana, virabatrasana gently to strengthen those muscles.
- PSOAS: if tight it can create a little bit of hip flexion just on your standing, so if you notice you have issues in straighten your knees you should lengthen the poas with low lunges
lifting the torso. Remember to work gently with muscles under tension and you might land up inflating the tendons.
If your psoas muscles are not strong enough you end up compensating with other muscles so, in order to engage the first ones, practice Navasana and from there draw your knees to the chest crossing at heel level.
- If you have pinching during the adduction and twisting at the hips there is likely a combination of tension on different muscles where soft tissue is getting squashed between the femur, and iliac.
As the hips articulations have very heavy ligaments it is quite dramatic to hurt them
but, thankfully,
things happen around the hips during the practice when those are overused, overcontracted, there are muscle spasms rather than injury itself .
- External rotation: muscles (piriformis "& friends") which are buried, coming across and joining the greater trochanter of the femur.
If you have pain here, there might be an imbalance between external and medial (inward) rotation muscles.
- If you have pain coming down from the upper leg, hamstring and down, which feels similar to sciatica (as the sciatic nerve goes underneath and more rarely across the
piriformis muscle),
then practice asanas which work on the medial rotation (as triang mukha eka pada pashimottanasana),
if you feel hurting or pinching do not push too much but just ease and loosen up into different range of motions.
- If the discomfort is at the top of the hip, still around the back at the gluteus medium and minimum (responsible for the medial rotation and abduction) - those are stability muscles -
they might be weak or overused so they get tight and they restrict the movement in the opposite direction (external rotation).
Do trikoṇasana, parivrtta trikonasana
and utkatasana, virabatrasana gently to strengthen those muscles.
- PSOAS: if tight it can create a little bit of hip flexion just on your standing, so if you notice you have issues in straighten your knees you should lengthen the poas with low lunges
lifting the torso. Remember to work gently with muscles under tension and you might land up inflating the tendons.
If your psoas muscles are not strong enough you end up compensating with other muscles so, in order to engage the first ones, practice Navasana and from there draw your knees to the chest crossing at heel level.
- If you have pinching during the adduction and twisting at the hips there is likely a combination of tension on different muscles where soft tissue is getting squashed between the femur, and iliac.
Do lunges (for psoas) and stretch your quadriceps; in twist as bharadvajasana and ardha matsyendrasana place a cushion underneath the sitting bones on the twisted side for balancing.
If during the practice you notice a sort of change and release around the discomfort/painful area, than it is more likely to be a tension rather than an injury.
When you have a pain, address the issue.
Thank you .
Om Mahadeva.
*Remember that the contraction of the navel work as "short cut" for the all body creating waves of energy.
If during the practice you notice a sort of change and release around the discomfort/painful area, than it is more likely to be a tension rather than an injury.
When you have a pain, address the issue.
Thank you .
Om Mahadeva.
*Remember that the contraction of the navel work as "short cut" for the all body creating waves of energy.
