Struggling with tight hamstring?
Irrespective of your lifestyle (whether you are an endurance athlete, office worker or a physical worker) chances are at some point in time you will be challenged with limited flexibility at your hamstring area.
What’s a Hamstring?
Hamstring area is made up of the three posterior thigh muscles that extend to the hips. These muscles are also responsible to bend knee joint.
This muscle group is also responsible to make up for a weak core and tight pecs, thereby, making hamstring effectively as one of the most important muscle group that’s responsible for all types of movements.
And that’s the reason why keeping hamstring flexibility is so important for people from all paths of life.
How to increase hamstring flexibility?
The diligent hamstring area needs special treatment; one that’s filled with love and patience. Unlike other muscles in your body, you can’t push them to boundaries to achieve the desired flexibility.
Yoga is a great way to treat these crucial muscles with the love and patience they deserve. Special yoga poses that gradually increase the flexibility of the hamstring area are a great way to avoid injury (which often lasts for a long time).
Studies have shown the positive impact of yoga on the flexibility of hamstring muscles by relieving the tightness. Yoga poses let you realign your breath while stretching for the pose, thus making a perfect prescription for hamstring flexibility.
Few instructions that will help you achieve the best results for hamstring flexibility from yoga poses include:
- Start Slowly
Hamstring muscles might be diligent but they are equally fragile and any overstretching can cause an injury. Start-off your yoga poses by aligning your breathing and slowly you’ll be able to achieve your desired pose without any added pressure on hamstring area
- Persistence is the key
Yoga is all about gaining mental and physical strength. To be able to achieve the desired flexibility you need to endure a yoga pose for up to a minute. While it might be hard in the beginning, you can slowly increase your time
Ok, now let’s see some great yoga poses for higher hamstring flexibility:
And if you are looking for some more yoga poses and further guidance do check out our ultimate yoga assessment guide. As it comes with every thing, a yoga practitioner needs when practicing solo.
You can check out our YOGA ASSESSMENT GUIDE™ by clicking here!
Best Yoga Poses For tight hamstring
01. Down Dog Pose.
Benefits: Provide a great stretch to the entire backside, open the shoulders to get the better range of motion. Enhance shoulder and forearm strength while lengthening calf and hamstring muscles. Moreover, increase blood ow towards brain which decreases stress and enhances productivity.
Directions:
Tips: Watch out for any hyper-extension of elbows and knees. If you feel too much pressure on your shoulders, shorten the distance between your hands and feet and allow your knees to bend.
02. Pigeon Pose.
Benefits: This pose provides numerous benefits to practitioners from all backgrounds. Not only relieves stress from legs due to the excessive labor of legs during sports, physical training or daily routines but also stretches your lower back muscles. Not only relaxes your mind and body but also prevents you from sports-related injuries.
Directions:
Tips: Press the hips down and in the direction of the bent leg, to rest the thigh as close as possible to the ground. Avoid pressure in your knee. Stay away from knee pain in the pose. If the pain does occur, come out of this pose immediately.
03. Standing Forward Bend Pose.
Benefits: Stretches spine and hamstring muscles which reduces the chances of injuries and maintain flexibility. Improvised body posture. Calms your mind and helps to relieve you from a stress headache and mild depression. Stimulate abdominal organs for better digestion.
Directions:
Tips: Don't round your back by bringing your shoulders forward. If flexibility is an issue let your knees slightly bend and deepen the stretch with every exhale. For modification place a yoga block in front your feet and grab it while bending.
04. Knee to Chest Pose.
Benefits: Stretches and stabilizes your hip-flexors and gluts muscles. Great recovery pose after sports training and all day labor. Quite beneficial in relieving from lower back pain and overall relaxation by elimination the symptoms of anxiety and high blood pressure. indigestion, bloating, flatulence, acidity, and constipation.
Directions:
Tips: Keep your biceps by your sides and pull the knee by forearms. Deepen the stretch on every exhale. Your head and shoulder should maintain contact with the ground all the time. For modification bend the extended leg.
05. Runner's Lunge Pose.
Benefits: Increase stability and flexibility in hip flexors while also opening the front torso, chest, and shoulders. It strengthens and tones the thighs and hips. Develop endurance in your thighs while focusing on balance to improve your sprinting ability and strength in single leg squats or lunges.
Directions:
Tips: Start with a closer stance if your back is arching (i.e. you feel pinching in your lower back). Keep hips even, facing forward. Ribs draw in towards one another to prevent puffing of the chest and arching of the back.
06. Warrior I Pose.
Benefits: Warrior one stretches the whole upper body along with back leg. A powerful pose that develops stamina, breathing capacity. Great to build balance, and coordination and teach your body to properly use your core to protect your lower back while running, lifting, and while simply standing.
Directions:
Tips: Make sure that you keep the back heel on the ground. Draw your ribs toward one another to prevent your back from arching.
07. Pyramid Pose.
Benefits: Deeply stretch legs and back muscles while improving the balance. Significantly reduces the risk of knee injury by stretching the IT band. Strengthen your hamstrings and increase its flexibility. Great for sports which involves sprinting and lifting. It also stimulates abdominal organs for better digestion and detox.
Directions:
Tips: Don't practice this pose if you have a knee, hamstring or back injury. If flexibility is an issue rest your hands on yoga block placed parallel to your front foot.
08. Head To Knees Pose.
Benefits: A great recovery pose that stretches the spine, shoulders and hamstring muscles. Stimulates abdominal organs such as stomach, liver and kidney for better digestive, endocrine and urinary systems. Clams your brain and relieves mild depression anxiety and fatigue. Great for people with high blood pressure and insomnia.
Directions:
Tips: If you cannot reach for the foot with your hand use a strap to stretch yourself towards the foot. Go slow with the stretch, go deeper on every exhale.
09. Triangle Pose.
Benefits: A great stretching pose which relieves stress strengthens legs and core muscles. Simulate the function of abdominal organs results in better digestion. Reduce the risk of hamstring injuries, increase the range of motion of your legs to improve kicking power and increased speed.
Directions:
Tips: Squeeze your legs toward one another to prevent your leg muscles from relaxing. Do not lock out your front knee. For modification, place a block on either side of the front leg, and place your hand on top of the block.
Thanks for staying till here!
for more exercises (other than yoga) that can boost you sex life life please check out this awesome article.
By the way number of researches have confirmed that that yoga is one of the best and most sustainable form of activity to loose weight and here is why.
Take good care of yourself,
and C.Ya