The first in a series of practices to help you get to know your hips better, this class invites you to settle into the foundations of practice. Simple, but advanced, use the senses to arrive in the present moment, notice the feeling of breathing, and find the muscles and bones of the body in the interior spaces of YOU. For this first hip practice, we explore moves such as Hip CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations for mobility), Toe to Knee Rocks into a Squat or into Chair, some static and dynamic balancing in Tree and in a move called Rock the Clock, and lots more. We’ll also enjoy classic yoga poses like Warrior 1 and 2, Pigeon, Triangle, and Supported Bridge. You can look forward to adding onto this practice to repeat and refine, plus add some challenges in the 3rd practice in this series. Your hips will thank you! You’ll need 2 blocks for this practice. Enjoy!

I just LOVE the little flow we work with in this practice, and I hope you do too! This class repeats many elements from Hip Strengthening #2, and has the intention to help you move in ALL the ways, not just in the habitual patterns that can create blindspots and structural imbalances in the body and the mind. We play with a Pinwheel Sit, Music Box Rotations, a Squat Mobility Sequence, Active Frog Pose, Side-lying Clamshells, Extended Side Angle, Pyramid, and Half Moon. This is a sequence you can come back to over and over again when you want to flow but also develop some strength in some new ways in which your hips can move.

In this class, we start a whole new series of hip-centered movements that build upon many of the movements that came before in the Hip-Strengthening Series. Start with foot and ankle work to bring some awareness to the foundation of your body, and then we move into a Surya C sequence that includes a Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana) and Pyramid Pose (Parsvottonasana). Next, we get into some excellent ankle mobility using Combat Stance, give the hips some effortful work in a Single Leg Tornado, and then move into a 90/90 Mobility Sequence for the hips. Integrate all of this work into Warrior 2, Extended Side Angle, and Triangle Pose to get the payoff of strong and open hips to lead to a light top arm as you explore where you are in space (proprioception) and how it feels inside your body (interoception). 2 Blocks will be helpful. Enjoy!

This next series of movements focuses on single-leg strength in a variety of ways, and invites you to explore with curiosity the two sides of your amazing body! We start with Alternate Nostril Breathing, and then head into a practice full of hippy moves that will bring awareness to your hips, yes, but also your toes and ankles. We visit a Single-Leg Squat, Block Drops, and a Side-Lying Leg Lift, and then integrate it all into a Triangle Flow. Enjoy building some heat, noticing effort, and RELAXING as you practice. You’ll need two blocks.

Let’s revisit the strength of our two legs in this 10th class on the hips, as well as balancing out the solar (active, right-side) and lunar (restful, left-side) channels of our system. Single-leg strength is an important part of moving and balancing, and in this class, we build upon class #8 and explore progressions of Side-Lying Leg Lifts, Standing Heel Raises, the Block Drop, and more as we build up towards yoga poses such as Warrior 3, Half Moon, and Standing Leg Extensions (Uttita Hasta Padagusthasana). You’ll need 1 or 2 blocks for this practice. Enjoy!

The 11th class in this Hip series, this practice builds upon class #7 and #9. This is the last time in this Hip series where we’ll use the movements of the Buddha Squat and the 90/90 Pinwheel Mobility Setup. What’s different is pace, repetition, order of positions, and adding a little bit of load, all great ways we can build capacity in our bodies! You may need 1-2 blocks for this practice. Get ready to turn some lightbulbs on in those hips!