Great Yoga Poses for Tight Hamstrings

A lot of people have tight hamstrings, which can inhibit a variety of movement. Did you know that rigid hamstrings can cause back pain? When the muscles aren't regularly stretched out, they shorten, which means they can then begin to pull on the low back muscles and cause tension.

Also, it's incredibly important to stretch the hamstrings before running or working out. Not stretching them out before exercising will cause them to shorten (and then the back pain, etc. etc.). So here are some simple yoga stretches to warm up the hamstrings and increase flexibility:

1.) Reclining hamstring stretch: I highly recommend beginning with this stretch--it's effective, simple, and easy to do, no matter how tight your hamstrings are. Begin lying on your back, legs straight on the floor. Then lift your right leg, pressing the foot up towards the ceiling as you lengthen the leg. Put a strap (tie, belt, whatever) around the ball of the foot and grasp each end of the strap w/ your hands. Use the strap to help you gently pull your leg in towards your body. (If this proves too difficult, try bending the left knee and placing the left foot on the floor as you do this.) Try to hold this for at least 20 seconds, and focus on your breathing as you hold it. Then take the leg down and switch sides. This is a great way to warm up and stretch out the hamstrings.

2.) Chair forward bend with strap: This is great for someone who struggles with a seated forward bend. You'll start by sitting on the edge of a chair, with your legs straight, making a diagonal line with your feet on the floor. Put a strap around the balls of your feet and bend (from the hips, not the waist), forward over your legs, holding onto to the strap and pulling on it slightly to help you move into the pose. You may find that you don't need a strap. Keep your spine long and move forward only as far as you can without the back rounding. Again, you'll hold this pose and breathe, you can start with just a couple breaths and come out and do it again, and as you get more comfortable, you can hold it longer.

The more challenging alternative to this pose is to not use the chair, and begin seated on the floor w/ your back and legs straight (so you make a 90 degree angle), then fold forward (from the hips) over the legs, grasping a strap around the feet if necessary. If you want to work somewhere in between the chair forward bend and the floor forward bend, you can put a blanket or blankets under your sit bones (the two bumpy bones that you sit on) and that will help you bend forward from the hips to move into the pose.

3.) The basic forward bend: When you do this pose, it's very important that you bend from your hips, and not your waist. One thing that will help you do this properly is tilting your pelvis before you bend--the hipbones move forward and down, the back of the pelvis (and the butt) move back and up. Then slowly bend forward, letting your head and shoulders relax down to the floor. If you can't reach the floor, put your hands on blocks or something to stabilize you, or, if you're comfortable doing this, grab your elbows and then just let your spine slowly lengthen down. If even this is too much, you may want to start out w/ a half forward bend at the wall--put your hands on the wall and walk your feet back until you're making a 90 degree angle with your body.After practicing this way for awhile, you should be able to come into the full pose.

Start by holding this pose for a few breaths, eventually holding it longer, and when you come up, roll up slowly so that your head comes up last (this will prevent that "head-rush" feeling).

4.) Head-to-knee stretch: This one is a little more difficult, but it's great for runners. Begin in a lunge with your right foot forward and your left knee on the floor. From your lunge position, begin slowly moving your hips back as you straighten your right leg and let the foot come up to rest on the heel. Finally, drop your head down towards your knee, hold it and breathe. If this is easy for you, or you want to intensify the stretch, grab your right foot with your left hand and gently pull the toes toward the knee. Come out of it the way you went in, slowly shifting forward and back into your lunge to come out of the pose.

To get an idea of what this looks like, check out a photo of the pose at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/everydayelsie/406503586/in/set-72157594563196997/

5.) Pyramid Pose: This is another more difficult one, but you can work at a level your comfortable with. Start out at the wall, and if you find that too easy, you can go from there. Begin by facing a wall, and measure yourself so that standing up straight (this is important, make sure you're not leaning forward or back) you're about a fingertip's touch away from the wall (so you can touch it w/ just the fingertips). Then step the left leg back about 3 1/2 feet and turn the foot out slightly to the left. Your feet should be narrower than hip-width distance apart. Make sure your hipbones are both facing the wall completely (you may have to rotate the hips slightly to get there). Then, on an exhale, begin folding forward over your front leg, bringing your hands to the wall. Walk your hands down as far as is comfortable (if they can go lower than your hips, try bringing your hands to blocks or the floor). Before you go on, check to see if your hips have shifted: often, you'll find that the left hip has shifted backwards. Even out the hips again by bringing the left hipbone forward as you gently pull the right backwards. Move your shoulder blades down away from your neck, as you lengthen your spine and arms in the pose, then hold it and breathe. (if you can't straighten your arms you may need to adjust your distance from the wall and try again.) You can really feel it in your hamstrings, right? To come out of the pose, climb your hands up the wall as you step your back foot forward, pause for a breath, then take it to the other side.

If you're really flexible, you'll be able to bring your hands to the floor in this pose. Only do this if you can keep from rounding your back this way. Otherwise, find blocks or books to put your hands on so you can keep your spine long in the pose.

To get an idea of what this looks like, check out a version of the full pose (hands on floor) at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/everydayelsie/406502554/in/set-72157594563196997/

6.) Down Dog: This is a classic yoga stretch, and if you're at all familiar with yoga, you've heard of and seen this posture. This one is trickier because it's not just a hamstring stretch, but also a strengthening pose that requires some spine and shoulder flexibility. Start on your hands and knees, with your knees lined up under your hips (this means that the legs are not touching, but rather hip-width apart) and you wrists lined up under your shoulders. Now walk your hands about a hand's length forward and spread your fingers. Tuck your toes under and begin lifting your knees as you press up and back through your hands and arms. Bring your sit bones (the middle of your butt) as high in the air as you can, lengthening the spine. Straighten the knees and come up high on the toes at first. Ideally, you'll be kind of triangle-shaped here, with you sit bones being the tip. A great way to warm up the legs here is to begin by pressing one heel at a time down to the floor as the other foot is on the toes. Do that a few times as you breathe, then finally to come completely into the pose, press both heels down to the floor (don't worry if they don't touch! They will someday!). While you're in the pose, keep pressing up and back through the arms, lengthening the spine by lifting the sit bones, and lengthening the legs by pressing down through the heels. Let your neck relax as your head moves toward the floor and breathe. Hold for as long as you're comfortable, then come out by dropping the knees to come back into table pose (on hands and knees) and rest by stretching your arms out on the floor, resting your chest on your knees and your head on the floor in child's pose (see the picture, linked below).

child's pose (the resting pose) at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/everydayelsie/406502091/in/set-72157594563196997/

and check out a picture of down dog at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/everydayelsie/406502109/in/set-72157594563196997/

Even doing just one or two of these poses a day will go a long way to loosening, lengthening, and increasing the flexibility of your hamstrings. Once you get in the habit of doing a pose or two (or all if you'd like!) try to increase the amount of time you hold the pose. And remember, as with any yoga, always focus on your breath and make sure you're breathing fully and steadily.

Also, please keep in mind to always work within your particular limitations, listening to your body and moving with care. Yoga is generally a safe exercise activity but injuries can occur (mostly when practitioners are moving recklessly or not listening to their bodies) so move with care. Consult your doctor first if you are recovering from an injury, or suffer from high blood pressure.