This 30-day course is designed to improve your functional hamstring flexibility so that you can get into any position that your sport demands and achieve your best times yet. By the end of the month, you’ll be more supple, better able to generate power at your end ranges of motion and free from related aches and pains. You should also feel far more graceful in your yoga practice!
A Yoga for Athletic Performance and Recovery course is well-suited for improving functional hamstring flexibility as we have a number of tools in our arsenal.
- Many different poses that target the hamstrings from different angles.
- 5 types of stretches—static, active, passive, dynamic and proprioceptive.
- A holistic approach that includes adjacent muscles—lower back, hips, glutes, quads and calves.
- Strap and block recommendations to achieve safe alignment.
- Breathing and meditation techniques to reduce muscle tone throughout the body.
HOW THE COURSE IS STRUCTURED
Over the course of 30-days, we cycle through each of the 5 different Yoga 15 skills and take a short break on the 6th day with a restorative breathing technique. We repeat this pattern five times, increasing in depth and difficulty as we progress through the course. Here is the order of skills:
- Flexibility
- Strength
- Recovery
- Mobility
- Balance
- Breathing
DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRETCHES
- Static. This is the style of stretch that we practice in the Flexibility sequences. We hold poses for 3-5 breaths as we aim to relax into the stretch.
- Active. In active stretches, we engage muscles on the opposite side of the joint—so the quadriceps in this instance. You’ll find this style of stretching in the Strength sequences.
- Passive. Passive stretching is the most intense style that we practice, primarily in the Recovery sequences. Passive stretches educate the nervous system to tolerate deeper ranges of motion.
- Dynamic. The purpose of dynamic stretching in the Mobility sequences is to use these new ranges of motion in different planes of movement so that we don’t slide backwards on our progress.
- Proprioceptive. In yoga, we can simultaneously train proprioception and flexibility in the Balance sequences. Grab your blocks!
- Breathing. The breathing techniques that we practice on the 6th day reduce overall muscle tension. You can do them seated or lying down on your mat for deeper relaxation.
TIMING
The best time to practice the sessions in this course is any time, as long as you’re warmed up. I give my recommendation for the ideal time to do each video but consistency is more important than optimising for time of day.
You need a mat, a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed (these sessions require a focused and calm headspace), two blocks and a strap (if you have them).
STAY IN TOUCH
Flexibility is not something that you can force—you have to coax your hamstrings into suppleness, otherwise your efforts will backfire. Keep in touch and let me know if you have any questions as you move through the course.
