Episode Transcript
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Mandy Ryle (00:02):
Welcome to the Yin
Yoga Podcast.
I'm your host, mandy Ryle.
This week's pod practice is allabout befriending your hip.
We'll take a pretty traditionalYin practice, including all of
our favorite hip openers, fromthe half butterfly to the square
to a variation of half frog.
(00:24):
But we will also explore how wefeel about the hip.
We'll explore a breathingstrategy to help you to befriend
and accept your hip and also torelease some things about your
hip that may not be helping youanymore.
This is a really sweet andquick practice.
(00:48):
It is a wonderful way to soothehip tension, hip stiffness, hip
pain, not just today, but longterm, using these strategies.
You'll want to have a yogablanket, yoga bolster and a
couple of blocks.
And, as always, thank you somuch for being a listener to the
(01:08):
Yin Yoga Podcast.
If you haven't already, willyou please just take a quick sec
to hit follow or subscribe inyour podcast app?
Not only does that ensure thatyou won't miss a future practice
or discussion that could bereally useful to you, but it's
also the kind of engagement thatpodcast platforms look for when
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sending new listeners, justlike you, to the podcast for the
first time.
So I've been working with bodiesin motion for the past 15 years
, and I've noticed that with myclients, with my students, with
(01:52):
the groups that I work with,there's a bit of a trend toward
some antagonism toward the hip.
And this is perfectly justified, right, because the hips often
feel tight, they feel sore, achy, often there is pain in the
hips, and so it makes sense thatwe would develop a little bit
(02:14):
of a negativity toward this area.
But from my perspective, assomeone who works with people
who live with pain, this may notbe the most helpful or
productive perspective.
So I'd like to offer a shortpractice today which is really
about befriending the hip.
You're going to need to have ayoga bolster, two blocks and a
(02:37):
blanket I'll have you start bytaking that blanket of yours,
open it up and bring it acrossthe center of your yoga mat,
right in the middle, just forcomfort, and then come to hands
and knees, with your kneespretty wide and your big toes
together, and bring one of thoseyoga blocks between your knees.
Take the other block about 14inches in front, toward the
(03:02):
front edge of your mat, and thentake your bolster on top of
both of those.
So you've got this stone hinge,which is longitudinal on your
mat and way up between yourthighs and then push your hips
back back back toward your heelsthough not necessarily on.
Frame the bolster with your twohands, and come down to rest
(03:23):
your belly, your chest and yourcheek or your forehead onto that
bolster.
Shift the elbows so that youcan't use them accidentally.
Okay, and make sure here inthis child's pose that your hips
aren't really lifted so thatyou feel like you're falling
forward.
(03:43):
Find a way to make yourselfpush backward, because it's a
whole lot more comfortable inthe pose if you're not being
shoved forward into your neckand head.
And then try to settle in ifyou need to fidget, fidget and I
have to admit that I think thatstarting a practice in a
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child's pose is a little mean,because it's actually pretty
intense pose, especially rightout of the gate.
But I also think that this setsus up for being a little bit
more open to feelings that aremaybe not so comfortable.
So let's start that process byconnecting with your breath.
(04:28):
You're going to take an inhaleinto your back and then a nice,
slow, easy, soft exhale.
Feel the ribs sink down.
Inhale into your back, exhale,just feel those ribs sink and
(04:52):
settle.
Not trying right, just usinggravity, the natural collapse of
the exhale, and then maybe nowyou'll be a little bit more open
(05:15):
to sensations that you'refeeling.
There's pressure on the kneesright.
There's a little bit of a deepflexion of the knees as well, as
well as the hips, so it'spossible that there's some stuff
there that's not like yourfavorite.
Just notice it.
We won't be here too long.
(05:42):
Let's see if you can also startto open up your awareness
towards sensations which mightnot be quite so overt, things
that are a little more subtle.
Maybe the pressure against yourcalf from your hamstrings,
maybe a little stretch in theankles.
(06:03):
Three more of these backexpanding inhale Nice, slow,
easy exhale breaths, nice work.
(06:40):
So you'll plant your hands toframe the bolster, go ahead and
bring them back so you can usethem, and then you're going to
come up, sit back toward yourheels.
If that's no good for youimmediately, you can bring your
knees back so you're in more ofa tabletop, okay, and then slide
the block that's in frontforward a little bit more, all
(07:02):
the way up to the front edge ofyour mat, if it's not already
the block that you had closestto you between your thighs.
You're going to get rid of thatfor now you don't need it.
And then Bring your knees backoff of the blanket and just
slide the blanket over to theright, slide it over to the
right, so most of the blanket isoff of the mat.
(07:25):
And then come back to thistabletop and bring your left
knee directly behind the bolster, almost to the edge of it, and
if you need to adjust yourblanket, you got to adjust your
blanket.
Yeah, almost to the edge of it.
Your hands are framing thebolster.
One more thing Use your lefthand to pull the side of the
bolster that's closest to you,just a couple of inches to the
(07:47):
left, so the bolster is a littlediagonal.
Okay, bring your right knee wayout to the right onto the
blanket which is on the barefloor, and Then simultaneously
slide your left knee back, yourright knee out, and drop your
left hip crease onto the cornerof the bolster.
Your elbows are framing thisbolster.
(08:09):
Now your cheek can rest on thebolster, or your forehead, or if
you're really tall, you mightneed to have your forehead on
that extra block of yours andwe'll kind of wriggle and wiggle
a little bit.
Get that right knee a littlefurther out to the right, if you
can, so that you're feeling anice pull in the inside of the
right thigh.
Come back to that breath, backexpanding in Nice slow, soft,
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smooth exhale.
And then I'd like for you totransfer this breath, bring that
slow, soft, smooth Inhale intothe part of the right hip which
(09:05):
is currently feeling a littlestretched.
Your pulled and then exhalethat same area, breathe out of
it, so there'll be a gentleexpansion of the area, just like
you expanded your back ribs,and then a soft, smooth, easy
(09:30):
exhale of the same area.
Let's do a couple more, justgetting used to exhaling that
(10:06):
right hip.
Just.
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One more gentle expansion, soft,smooth exhale, and then you'll
plant your hands to either sideof the bolster.
You'll push back onto hands andknees.
It's definitely the weirdesttabletop you've ever done.
Right, the right knee can staypretty much where it is, but
(10:55):
bring your left knee over towardthe right knee actually, so
that you can drop your left hipdown, so you're kind of in a
side set, and Then turn yourselftoward the back corner what
would be now the left corner ofyour mat.
The right leg is going to pushout, so your right leg is
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completely extended.
The sole of the left foot isgoing to come toward the right
inner thigh like a halfbutterfly.
So you're looking toward thatback left corner.
Right leg is long, sole of leftfoot against inner right thigh
or knee.
And Then take your two blocksOne on each side of your right
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leg, one on each side of thatextended right leg and then take
your bolster on top for anotherstonehenge a lot of these today
.
If You're, left knee likes tostay a little bit higher.
It doesn't really want to openup.
Roll up that section of blanketwhich you had previously so
that you can support that right.
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We don't need to beantagonistic toward it.
We don't need to provoke it.
Let's give it the support itneeds to just soften.
And then take your two handsonto that bolster and use them
to help you turn your bodytoward the bolster, not just
your eyes, not just your heart,but also your navel.
(12:22):
Turn your navel toward thatright big toe and stay vertical
for a moment here with yournavel.
Your heart, your eyes turntoward that right big toe and
Just notice your right hip,notice the side of it, the back
of it, inner thigh, even the topof the thigh, and Then the next
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time you exhale, the navel isgoing to move closer towards
your right big toe, and then theheart and Then the eyes, good,
and you're going to set yourselfup so that You're comfortable
in this forward fold.
So if you're not as flexible,the bolster might even come all
the way up to your belly so thatyou can just have your elbows
(13:10):
on there.
It's possible that you'reflexible enough to rest your
head also in your hands, which Iwould prefer and then, for the
most flexible among us, we willjust slide the bolster way
forward so you can rest yourforehead directly on that
bolster or anywhere in between.
(13:33):
There's probably no area of thehip which is more negatively
thought of than the hamstrings.
Almost everybody wishes theirhamstrings were different than
what they were.
Everybody says I can't eventouch my toes.
Take that, inhale that softexpansion into the back of the
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right leg, wherever thesensation is the most obvious,
and then the exhale again.
You're gonna exhale thosetissues.
It's a gentle expansion.
Often when I ask a student tobreathe an area, it's very
(14:29):
aggressive.
It's like that breath is gonnago in like a jackhammer, change
things right.
It's gonna expand it, it'sgonna fix it.
This is not that breath.
It's a friendly expansion and,if I'm honest, I think the
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exhale is really where the magichappens here.
Let's take just one more breathNow, press your hands down,
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rise up to vertical, untwist,and then just take your bolster
out into the left again, out tothe left again, and your blocks
too.
Turn your body again toward thatlong edge of your mat where the
block and the bolster are thatside of the mat, and have your
(15:59):
left ankle walk forward a littlebit.
So what you're looking at isthe left shin, which is parallel
to the long edge of your mat,and then let's swing this right
leg around so that the rightheel is in front of the left
knee and the left heel is underthe right knee.
So it's not the easy pose, notthe Sukhasana.
(16:20):
This is a square pose, that's asquare pose.
And then just take your blocksin front of your bolster and set
your bolster excuse me, blocksin front of your shin and then
put your bolster on top Just alittle informal stone hinge.
It won't be there for long.
Hands are just gonna rest onthat bolster and you're gonna
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tilt your pelvis back and roundalmost like the cat, and then
you'll inhale, draw your pelvisforward, navel forward.
This time the heart and theeyes lift.
Just a little cat cow in thesquare here for a moment.
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So, in general, what I find ismost people are most limited in
that external rotation, which iswhat this is doing.
So I'd like for you to bereally kind to yourself here in
this external rotation.
If your knees are way up highwhich is pretty normal, I see it
a lot find something so thatthey can be supported.
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Maybe the blocks aren't underyour bolster now, maybe they're
under your knees, or just oneknee, if necessary.
Okay, so one more time intothat cat and one more time into
that cow, and this time you'regonna stay.
You're gonna stay in that cowshape.
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I'm gonna switch the way myprops are oriented, though, to
make a ramp.
So what I need is, way out infront of me, a block on low
setting and then a block onmedium setting.
I'm gonna take my bolster andI'm gonna set it on medium as
well and shove a corner of itunder my ribs, and the other
(18:09):
side, the high side, goes on tomy blocks, and a lot of times
you're gonna have to adjust theblocks so that your bolster
isn't sliding around, and then,when you come in, the bolster is
gonna kind of push you away outof the pose, but use the weight
of you to just drop.
In that way, you'll get areally nice feeling of support
here in your square fold.
Now you may not need the mediumbolster, you might need the low
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bolster, or maybe you don'tcome very far forward at all and
you're just gonna set thatbolster on a high side, pull the
upper side into your chest andgive it a hug.
Yeah, so it's customizable.
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This time the inhale kindfriendly expansion is into the
outer right hip and the exhalesoft from the right hip, almost
like that hip has some nostrilsand think about that exhale
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almost providing the sameservice it does in your lungs it
clears things out.
So, just like our circulatorysystem draws all of the
deoxygenated blood with thecarbon dioxide and other waste
product from cellular processinto the heart, and that blood
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is drawn into the lungs wherethe air can be exhaled, your
exhale from your hip willcollect all of these things that
are no longer necessary.
Maybe at one time they were,maybe at one time they were very
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useful, but now it's time tolet go.
One more breath and then youwill press your hands down to
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come back up, like up tovertical, and we'll set one of
the blocks all the way up to theright front edge of your yoga
mat.
Take your bolster on top sothat you have a ramp again.
So the high side of the ramp istoward that right front edge,
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the low side is toward you.
The second block just keep itnearby in case you need it, and
you're going to come around to atabletop with your hands
framing that bolster and bringthe side of the bolster which is
closest to you just a littlebit to the right, like we did
before.
So it's diagonal, and then yourright knee is going to be right
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behind that bolster.
Maybe touching your left knee,comes way out to the left.
Simultaneously, your right kneeslide back, your left knee
slide out so that your right hipcrease can come on to the
corner of the bolster.
Your right hip needs to be onthe bolster it's really
important for what I'm trying todo here and then you'll lay
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your cheek down onto thatbolster and if you can't get
your cheek on there becauseyou're too tall, use a block
under your head and you'llwriggle around a little bit more
until your left knee is way outto the left.
Maybe your right leg moves outto the right a little wider as
well.
(22:04):
Your elbows are in a positionwhere they can't help you too
much because I don't want you tojust lay in on those elbows,
okay, and we'll inhale that nicefriendly expansion into the
left front hip inner groin andwe'll exhale Just getting rid of
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what we don't need anymore.
One thing I don't think we giveourselves enough credit for it
with regard to our hips is thattension, stiffness, tightness
has a valid reason for existing.
It didn't just come out ofnowhere, right.
(22:51):
Somehow it was adaptive.
It helped you to move in waysthat you were moving.
It helped you to protectyourself when you needed
protecting.
All of those sensations that wedon't really love.
(23:17):
We're really just the body'sway of trying to make it easier
or safer for us to do the thingswe were doing habitually.
So, while we may hate theresult, we have to really have,
I think, maybe, a little bit ofgratitude to the body.
(23:47):
Let's do three more of thosefriendly expansion, releasing
exhales and you'll use yourhands to frame the bolster.
(24:26):
You'll press yourself back tothat very strange tabletop, but
immediately just bring yourright knee to meet your left
knee and bring your right hipdown so you're in a side set.
You're going to turn toward thenow what would be the right
back corner of your mat.
So we're going the other way.
Extend your left leg out long,fully extend Solo the right foot
(24:47):
to the inner left thigh, so theblocks are going to be placed
on either side of the long leftleg and then your bolster is
going to go on top.
If your right knee needssupport, just roll up that
blanket like you did before,give it just the right amount of
(25:09):
support that it needs to relax,and you're going to take your
hands to the bolster and you'regoing to use the hands to help
you leverage your navel, yourheart, your eyes toward that
left foot.
You hold here for a couple ofbreaths.
Lots of sensation here, right.
(25:34):
Okay, on your inhale, let'sprepare the exhale.
Bring your navel closer to yourfoot than your heart, than your
eyes, and then set up yourstone hinge so you're supported
just the way that you'd like tobe in your half butterfly.
So, if you're not superflexible, bring those props all
(25:54):
the way up to you, almost like alittle hug, so you can sit
mostly vertical with comfort,with integrity.
And if you have the flexibilityto bring your elbows to the
bolster, I'd like for you to tryto support your head with your
hands, if it's possible.
The hamstrings here are reallyprobably the primary thing.
(26:22):
That's where most people aregoing to feel stretch, although
a lot of people feel stretch intheir back as well, or maybe a
combination of both.
Equally, use your breath tobefriend and serve these areas.
Let's take two more of thesebreaths Expansion, friendly and
(27:23):
then releasing, letting go,drawing out what used to be
necessary, helpful, adaptive,and letting it go now and then
(27:43):
you will bring your hands ontoyour props to help you up to
vertical.
We're going to take the blocksout in front of that right knee
and set them up so that you canmake, once again, just a stone
hinge.
It doesn't have to be a perfectstone hinge, it's just.
(28:05):
For a moment, turn your bodytoward those props, bring your
right shin so that it isparallel to the long edge of
your mat and then bring yourleft heel, swing it around so
that your left heel is in frontof your right knee.
So what you have is a squareshape.
(28:25):
And if this is a really tight,difficult spot for you, bring
your knees out wider, but keepyour heels more forward.
Support your knees.
If they're way up high, justsupport them.
This is part of befriending, isoffering support when necessary
.
Place on that bolster andyou'll tilt your pelvis back and
(28:49):
it should jetzt be ready.
And then the inhale is fordrawing the pelvis forward.
This time the heart and the eyeslift.
Exhale for the rounding,releasing, letting go, accepting
.
Inhale, expand, offeringfriendliness, peace.
(29:14):
Three more of those, and here'sour last one.
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So, with your heart forward,you'll stay and then set up your
props however you want to usethem.
Are you gonna go for a verticalbolster, something to hug?
Are you going to do a ramp witha medium or low setting bolster
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tucked under your ribs.
It's up to you.
It's up to you.
And then go ahead and lay downon those props as best as you
can.
Don't worry if you're not inthe deepest forward fold.
Everybody's different.
So it's the left hip now Afriendly, expanding, exploring,
(30:34):
offering peace, friendliness andan exhale which removes things
that may be once, were helpful,useful, adaptive, but are no
longer.
And that doesn't just mean thesubjective feeling of stiffness,
(30:56):
it means those negativefeelings you have about your
hips, those insecurities.
Maybe when there's pain it'spretty normal to get a little
mad, so maybe you have to letthat go.
(31:35):
Three more breaths, okay, you'llpress your hands down into
(32:05):
something, come up to verticaland this time your bolster
you're going to bring over toyour left, this time latitudinal
, so the short edges of thebolster are to the long edges of
the mat.
You don't need your blocks,your blanket.
(32:27):
If you prefer, you may fold andbring it to the back of your
mat, that's to the right, sothat you could rest your head on
it or you could keep it exactlywhere it is.
And then you're going to takeyour thighs over the bolster so
that you can lay down with yourlegs supported.
Don't worry if your butt isn'tsuper close.
No need to bring it closer toyou now because you're actually
(32:50):
going to step your feet onto it.
Step your feet onto thatbolster and windshield wiper a
little bit side to side.
So let's inhale the knees to thecenter.
Radical acceptance, exhale theknees to the side, alternating,
(33:12):
letting go.
So knowing that the hips gotthis way for a pretty valid
reason, right, maybe what we'relike letting go of is our
antagonism, and maybe that willhelp you to release some of the
stiffness.
It's possible.
Radical acceptance in releaseon the out, one more to each
(33:47):
side.
And then the next time the twoknees are vertical, send the
(34:08):
legs out long over the bolster,make sure your heels can touch
and bring your heels out aboutas wide as your mat.
Rest your arms.
Let's take a moment just tonotice the hips.
Observe them now, right andleft, front and back.
Even notice the inside of thehips.
(34:30):
What's in there?
Of course, some of the mostimportant stuff of all.
I invite you to stay in thisposition, in this shavasana, for
(34:51):
as long as you can today.
Thank you, as always, forsharing your practice with me.