Notes on this Page: Below is a rough script of in-depth explorations of the Hip Stabilizing Asanas. These scripts are not meant to imply a ‘correct’ approach you are expected to memorize, but rather should be read as a description through the most productive paths through the asanas we have derived from both anatomical inquiry, interospective experience and our personal practice. Questions and comments are welcome! They will not only serve you, but benefit the program as a whole!

Accompanying each of the postures are GIFs that show the asana in motion, which can only be alluded to in words. Yay!

Anatomy in Motion

Parighasana seamlessly melds the legs with the deep core musculature via the pelvic floor, fostering a feeling of harmony and all-encompassing support in the lower body. The Buoyant variation hones in on strengthening the deep front line, while the lateral expression centers on gently leveraging the deep core and lateral lines to gently flex the spine laterally, enveloped in ample space and support.

Classic Version of Parighasana

Set-up: Kneeling heel to arch stance

From a supported kneeling position, gently extend the left leg out to the side so that the foot lines up with the right knee.
Avoid tipping or shifting the hips here, the right hip should remain effortlessly stacked over the right knee.
This puts the left hip in deep abduction, so if you feel pressure in the outer hip, opt for the bent knee version instead.
Press evenly into the extended foot and kneeling leg so that both legs gently awaken to support the pelvis and spine. Notice the sensation of lift and lightness rising up both inner leg lines.

Primary movement: Lateral flexion of hip and spine

Tilt the hips towards the extended leg, allowing the spine to naturally follow.
Let the spine naturally and evenly curve towards the extended leg.
Notice how both side bodies can work together to lengthen and bend the spine.
Note: Repeating the primary movement can itself be the work of the posture as it includes the tilt of the hips and lateral flexion of the spine. The following optional explorations are meant to take place during the work of the primary movement, ie. After the hips have tilted, and spine has lengthened laterally, from ‘within the pose’ so to speak.

Exploration of Buoyancy

Inhale, Gently lift the right arm. Avoid flaring the ribs as you lift the arm and breathe in, try to keep the ribs and spine neutral.
Exhale, let the left arm float, increasing the load on the deep core.
Inhale, release the left arm down, option to come out of the primary movement, leveling the pelvis and spine, or stay in lateral flexion.
Repeat steps 2 & 3 with each breath. Notice how the deep core strengthens with arm float, allowing you to intelligently lengthen the spine and articulate each vertebra into lateral flexion.
Pause & Breathe, allowing the bottom arm to float effortlessly down to the thigh. Experiment with keeping the arm ‘light' on the leg in order to maintain deep core support.

Exploration of Shearing
Note: Shearing movements travel perpendicularly to muscle fibers instead of along them like most other movements. This unsticks matted tissue, hydrates dehydrated cells, and allows layers of fascia to glide over one another for increased mobility and functionality of our muscle teams.

Gently lift the right arm (the top arm), staying long on both side bodies.
Rotate the shoulder and extended arm forward and back in order to twist or spiral the spine within this laterally flexed position, creating a shearing effect on the lateral line of the body, particularly the crisscrossing fibers of the oblique and intercostals.
Contraindication: If you feel most of the sensation in your arm and ribcage, come up slightly to integrate the entire lateral line and try to notice the shearing traveling all the way down to the outer hip and IT band.

Bent Knee Version of Parighasana

Set-up: Kneeling heel-to-arch stance

From kneeling, take an effortless step out to the side. The foot should land in a place that is comfortable for the knee and hip without creating a sensation of pressure or stretch in the hips or knee.
Anchor the big toe and send the weight back into the heel. Circle the knee around the ankle. Notice how this movement wakes up balanced support between the inside and outside of the thigh and stimulates the hip socket. Find a place to rest where the medial aspect of the knee joint feels spacious. Pause and breathe, generating space up through the spine.

Primary movement: Lateral Flexion of Hip and Spine

Keeping weight in the heel, bend the knee, letting the sit bone glide toward the heel. Notice a sense of support as the hamstring pulls down on the sit bone.
If necessary, walk the foot out to create more space for the knee bend.
Pulse here or hold as effortlessly as possible.

Exploration of Buoyancy

Float arms to a T position.

Inhale, Swoop arms down one inch as you gently lift out of the knee bend. Feel the body light and spacious.
Exhale: Allow arms to float back up as the knee bends. Notice how the exhale helps support buoyant hip opening.
Pause & Breathe: Ride the wave of your next exhale effortlessly into a state of supported stillness within the pose.

Exploration of Lateral Extension

Reach arms up

Inhale Plug heel in and lift and lengthen spine.
Exhale Bend knee and allow the body to sway towards the bent knee.
Pause & Breathe in the side bend, option to release bottom arm to thigh, or bend the elbow and bring back of hand to sacrum.

Parighasana- Internal Spiraling Exploration

Parighasana-External Spiraling Exploration

Anatomy in Motion

Virabhadrasana II is an experience of finding balance in the pelvis while the legs are asymmetrical (the back hip is in abduction, and the front hip is in external rotation and flexion). Often, people are used to actively working to lengthen their stance, externally rotating the back thigh and pushing into a deep stretch sensation. Overtime, this stretches the ligaments of the hips and can cause irreversible damage. Instead, we will be emphasize drawing up energy through the feet to lift and support the pelvis.

Set-up

Vira 2 stance (see the previous section, Stances, for an in-depth overview)

From straddle, lift the right heel and turn the toes out.
Allow the back heel to lift and reach out slightly so that the back toes point inward a few degrees.
Anchor both big toes and allow the hips to spiral in the hip socket.

Explore tipping the pelvis forward, back, left, and right. Find neutral and notice what muscles subtly engage to maintain this position.

Primary movement (bending knee)

With equal weight in both feet, anchor the front big toe.
Keep weight in the heel and bend the front knee, letting it subtly track towards the outer toes. Notice the brightening sensation in the glutes. Pulse here or hold as effortlessly as possible. Avoid reaching into a stretch sensation in the hips, instead, become curious about how the two legs can work together to support the pelvis.
Though the glutes naturally engage to support the back of the pelvis, avoid any pressure on the SI Joint. Notice if you can draw the strength and support up through the back of the core to allow the spine to lengthen.

Explorations (Choose one when teaching):

• Exploration of Buoyancy

Float arms to T.
Inhale: Let arms depress as you extend the front leg, lifting the crown of the head with even support from both feet.
Exhale Elevate the arms to T as you bend the knee, letting the limbs radiate outward energetically like the rays of the sun. Lifting the arms should inspire a deep core response, gently hugging in the mid section and supporting the pelvis.
Pause & Breathe: Ride the wave of your next exhale effortlessly into a state of supported stillness within the pose.

• Exploration of Lateral Waving

Float arms to T.
Press gently and evenly into one foot at a time, creating a ripple effect wave from foot, through knee and hip and into spine, generating a lateral wave from side to side. Emphasize the waving action from foot to spine in order to move holistically.

Virabhadrasana II-Exploration of Primary Movement

Pose: Virabhadrasana 1

Anatomy in Motion

Virabhadrasana 1 mimics the natural pattern of walking. Tight hip flexors often inhibit the natural gait and increase demand on the posterior chain, causing muscular imbalance and even chronic back pain. Practicing Virabhadrasana 1 allows us to rewire this movement pattern, first ensuring that the deep core fires to support us, which in turn allows the superficial musculature to work together, spreading the load and taking strain out of individual muscles. Specifically, when the front line of the body works as a team, the hip extends naturally and evenly, unloading compensation in the low back.

Set-up

Virabhadrasana 1 stance (see the previous section, Stances, for an in-depth overview)

Find Tadasana at the front of your mat.
Bend knees and reach hips back into chair pose.
Shift the weight into the right foot.
Without rotating or tilting the hips, weightlessly glide the left foot straight back and release the heel towards the floor.
Gently release the back heel down and bring equal weight into both feet.

Primary movement (Flexing front knee / Extending back hip and spine)

Keep equal weight in both feet. Bring awareness into the front heel and allow the heel to sink into the ground. Notice a sense of the hamstring and calf drawing down to anchor the front heel as you bend into the front knee, allowing the back hip to extend.
Continue to pulse into and out of the front knee or hold and breathe naturally.

Explorations (Choose one when teaching):

• Exploration of buoyancy

Inhale, straighten the front leg and reach the arms straight down towards the floor.
Exhale, bend front knee as you scoop the arms forward and up.
Repeat this action several times with your own breath. Notice the smooth curve from the back foot up through the crown of the head. Try to feel a sense of unity as this whole curve extends on the exhale.

• Exploration of Lateral Body

Press into the back foot, letting the whole side body lengthen. Notice how the spine natural sways away from back foot
Press into the front foot letting the body lengthen and sway the opposite way
shift back and forth from foot to foot, allowing the hips to sway and spine to gently flex laterally.

Virabhadrasana I- “Step forward” to Heel to Heel Setup

Virabhadrasana I- “Step Back” to Heel to heel setup

Anatomy in Motion

As the lateral edges of the body suction downward, the deep front line can lift and support lateral flexion of the spine without putting any pressure on the hip socket.

Set-up

Teach Vira 2 stance outlined in the previous section, but keep both legs supple and straight. A micro-bend in the front knee keeps the muscles of the leg on to protect the ligaments in the knee joint.

Primary movement (lateral flexion of pelvis and lumbar spine)

With equal weight in both feet, gently isometrically draw feet together to activate the deep core.
Keeping the sense of unity in the legs, gently begin to tip the pelvis over the front leg. Notice a sense of drawing up through the inner thighs into the core as the pelvis tilts. Can you feel a brightening of holistic compression of the core, and a buoyancy of the hips?

Explorations (Choose one when teaching):

• Exploration of Buoyancy

Reach the bottom arm down towards the leg and the top arm long overhead.
Exhale to lift the bottom arm alongside the ear.
Inhale to float it back down.
Repeat several times, noticing how lifting the arm engages the deep core from the arches of the feet up to the tongue.

• Exploration of Spiraling

Reach the bottom arm down to the leg and let the top arm relax down naturally. It’s okay if the heart points slightly downward.
Inhale, slowly begin to circle the top arm forward, up, and open, allowing the heart to follow the angle of the arm. There shouldn’t be much sensation in the shoulder, rather, the arm is encouraging the trunk to rotate. Keep the breath steady.
Exhale, continue tracing the bottom half of the circle until you return to the beginning. Notice the connection between the rib cage and pelvis, and how the arm rotation initiates a cascade of movement.

Anatomy in Motion

Uttita Parsvakonasana gives us the unique opportunity to explore a wider hip opening stance that our other poses, without losing a connection to the deep front line. There should be a sense of gentle isometric contraction between the feet so that the deep front line engages and lengthens the spines. A great test is to keep the weight out of the bottom arm to ensure that the deep core providing body side support and the arm and shoulder are not compensating.

Set-up

Teach Vira 2 stance outlined in the previous section.

Primary movement (lateral flexion of pelvis and lumbar spine)

Press equally into both feet to reach tilt forward without putting pressure on the hip sockets.
Release bottom hand to thigh without losing core support.
Allow top arm to be an extension of the top lateral line.

Explorations (Choose one when teaching):

• Exploration of Buoyancy

Exhale to float bottom arm. Notice a sense of brightness through the core.
Inhale to release arm back down.

Repeat, noticing a sense of drawing energy up from the arches and a lightness or buoyancy in the pelvis.

• Exploration of Spiraling

Allow top arm to wrap forward and back, spiraling heart down and then open. The movement should transfer all the way down the lateral line to the outer ankle.