The last class of my 4 part hip series involves moving through all movements of the hips.. Internal and external rotation, hip flexion and extension and adduction and abduction.. Notice any areas of tension! This will be a great class to keep coming back to! We start the class with a calming meditation x
Today we work with 2 other movements of the hips.. Adduction (moving the leg toward the body) and Abduction (taking the leg away from the body) These muscles help with crossing and stability of the hips. Let’s check in to see if we might be holding on to any tension here and work to improve these actions.
In part two today (live from a corridor at Camp Rince Ceol) we work through hip flexion and extension, strength and flexibility.
As I explain in the This 4 part series will tie in lovely with our month of turnout. Over the coming weeks I will dedicated each class to different hip movement patterns. Starting today with hip internal and external rotation. Enjoy!
I hope you’ll enjoy and apply some of the great lessons that yoga can teach us, both on and off of the mat. Today we cultivate gratitude and our mantra is.. “I am enough, I have enough, there is plenty for everyone, including me.”
Guiding you through a body scan meditation to start with.. Why? This kind of meditation has many benefits including:
It improves interoception, our awareness of what’s going on inside the body.
As we scan through the body, we may recognise areas in which we’re holding stress & tension. Simply acknowledging this tension often gives it permission to soften and relax.
Helps us to steady the mind.. The body is one of several anchors we might choose to steady the wandering mind in meditation. Mostly, I use the breath as our anchor but for some people, the body is a more accessible anchor than the breath, or visualisation. A body scan can help us develop a strong foundation in mindfulness meditation.
Once we have completed our body scan we move from head to toe in a kind gentle way.
Irish dancing is physically hard as we know, what can be harder is the mental part. When that mind throws us into future and past thinking we are not present & focused and these thoughts often lead us towards stress- as Lucie has talked to us about before, this can often lead us to more chance of mistakes or ‘choking under pressure.’ High levels of stress decrease your ability to maintain focus and concentration. Of course, stress can be a helpful tool when used correctly; but when it’s not, it can not only impact your performance, but your life.
The number one tool I have for you is to consistently practice mindfulness. Remember, we get better at what we practice. Let’s practice calm x
P.S feel free to do as many rounds of the sun salutations as you would like. For a little bit more of a ‘pick up’ try 4-6 rounds 🙂
Last class I introduced to you a little yoga philosophy and basically it starts with compassion and kindness towards ourselves. This is what we aim to cultivate again today with our meditation before we move our bodies gently.. Another great hips sequence 😉
Weaving some yoga philosophy into todays class. A reminder that we practice yoga on the mat but also in life – today we practice self kindness and I hope that you’ll think about this throughout your week.. How can you continue to be kind towards yourself!
A yoga sequence that your hips will thank you for!