A beautiful hip opener, baddha konasana, or bound angle pose also requires a long spine. Prop yourself on a blanket or block if the low back is rounding. Work on a long spine before you add the forward fold, and whenever you get there, relax your shoulders and neck.
Here are some classes featuring Bound Angle Pose.
By Ally Hamilton on Mar 18, 2024
Do you ever think about what it would feel like to be a grasshopper with no thoughts about growth mindset? You'd just be hopping along as your little grasshopper self, and your biggest concern would be enjoying your next leaf. We humans could take a page or two out of the grasshopper school of life manual, and if you join me for this class we'll talk about the sickness of constant comparing and contrasting, and the calm that ensues when you learn to find contentment through the little things. Grab a couple of blocks in case you want them!
By Ally Hamilton on Mar 6, 2024
Hello yogis! You know those days when you feel totally depleted, either physically or mentally or sometimes both? Yeah, this practice is for those days! If you need to decompress, soothe your nervous system, breathe deeply and get a nice deep stretch, this is for you. This is also a great evening practice, or post-run or hike. The only moment of "work" here is some very deep core engagement (with or without a resistance band) and I do mean just a moment. I felt the need for that deep strengthening with a lot of chill around it :) Hope you enjoy.
By Ally Hamilton on Jan 20, 2024
Hello yogis! As requested, here is a shorter, energizing flow with all kinds of goodies included! After some quick grounding, we build heat and target shoulder, hip and hamstring opening. We play with koundinyasana 2 and later, koundinyasana 1. We do some deep core strengthening because you know I love it. I'll remind you to breathe deeply and listen to your body throughout this practice. If you're looking for something very thorough in 40 minutes, you found it! Have a couple of blocks handy for the end, when you can use blocks to back off or go deeper into some of your favorite hip and hamstring openers. Enjoy, yogis!
By Kate Duyn on Dec 9, 2023
Woodchopper meets volleyball player. Intrigued? Good! We're going to play with slow and steady fire today. Sometimes we resist resistance, but when you dive right into the center of it, you find the gift of strength you might not have known you had. There's a lot of deep core work and nice hip-opening waiting for you, too.
By Ally Hamilton on Nov 27, 2023
Hello friends! If you're looking for a full-body flow in a shorter amount of time with extra love for your hips, look no further! The hamstrings and shoulders get lets of attention, too, and we fire up the core nicely. You'll walk away from your mat feeling grounded and open. Hip Happy Day to You!
By Ally Hamilton on Sep 8, 2023
A perfect practice when you want to slow down, center yourself, and release tension from the shoulders, chest and upper back. The hips and hamstrings get plenty of love, but this practice is shoulder-focused. Deep, mindful breathing, longer holds. Inversions. Two blocks may be helpful. Guided meditation at the end. Treat this practice as a conversation you're having with your body, where the main question from moment-to-moment is, "Does this feel right?" Enjoy yogis!
By Brent Laffoon on Jul 23, 2023
A slow, smooth ride through a variety of seated and reclining hip openers and twists. Perfect for when you need a little stretch + reset... enjoy!
By Ally Hamilton on Jun 14, 2023
A flow for when you're feeling low, friends! No matter how many tools you have in your back pocket, sometimes life just gets really lifey! Practicing yoga for X number of years doesn't mean you won't feel sad, stressed, challenged or full of despair sometimes, it means that when you experience some of the heavier emotions, you know how to lean into them and ride those waves. Movement helps. Deep breathing helps. Community helps. And remembering that no feeling is forever also helps. Hope you find this flow to be the mood booster I did! Love y'all with my whole heart xx
By Ally Hamilton on May 30, 2023
Spoiler Alert: there's no prize for forcing anything. This practice gives you many good opportunities to build heat but you can also back off if you need to! The shoulders, hips, hamstrings and core get a lot of love in this flowing practice, you'll have reminders to keep breathing deeply and to listen to your body and respond with awareness and compassion. Two blocks may be very helpful to deepen some of the backbends and hip openers. Enjoy the good sweat and deep opening, yogis!
By Brent Laffoon on Feb 8, 2023
A nice, juicy practice that incorporates a variety of binding postures, and invites you to investigate all the elements that go into making them possible--strength, balance, flexibility and mobility. Enjoy Part 3 of our binding adventure!
Ally Hamilton
