Back to Basics Hips See Sharon ATM Runner 2 on itunes for hip release exercises.

If you learn how to have the maximum mobility in the hip joint then you learn how to free up the on the mobility of this joint. As long as hip muscle is constricted so will be the aforementioned muscle groups. If there is freedom there you wont have tight hamstrings (Sharon Runner 2) Charlie Murdach has uploaded several hip specific hip release videos on Youtube. The following Murdach videos cover similar ground to Sharon Runner 2: Threading the hoops and rolling Threading the legs through hoops. See Sharon Runner 2 word doc learning how to pivot over the hip joint whilst hugging knee See Sadie Nardini Pigeon Pose Sadie describes as magic pose to release tight hips helped her to sit cross legged. See Youtube njlaserdoctor Regressed hip hinge Open ATM - itunes Falk Getting to know the hip joints 1&2 Intro to opening joints towards half lotus Toward Ardha Padmasana half lotus On the right ischium Godek Knees right and left while making hips flexible Releasing the hips by holding the feet Sharon 98 Supple hips and spine Sharon Runner series Freeing the hip joints Charlie Murdach ATM Youtube 183 Holy Hip Opener lying on the feet part 1 184 Lying on the feet part 2 1

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62 Spine and hip freedom 268-270 Hip Joints by way of lengthening 3 part series. Somatic Technique Jim Dreaver based on Hanna Somatics, includes hands on and self help exercises to release chronically tight muscles The Busy Persons Guide to Easier Movement Frank Wildman based on Feldenkrais ATM Somatics Thomas Hanna These exercises were, I believe, responsible for the release in my trunk and hips when walking in Osmotherley. See Lawrence Gold website and videos

Keller 2 105 Alignment of the psoas takes place through the action of the thighs, which were described at some length in the context of discussing the core sutra as a whole. The primary engine for this alignment is the action of the inner thighs or adductors adductor magnus in particular. In Gold youtube Perspectives of Somatic Education 1 client c/o of inner hamstring tightness. Gold asks him to stand and bend to see he can touch ground with fingers. Client can so Gold says problem is probably not in the hamstrings. Gold suggests hamstrings may actually be protecting problems in adductors. Gold suggests Turn and slide exercise from Free Your Psoas video to help treat adductors. Gold also suggests two exercises from Magic of Somatics one called Reaching Balance, the other one Gold cannot recall its name. In above video, Gold mentions Diamond Penetration Technique aka Super Pandiculation @ 8.07 mins (described in Gold blog Somatics.com) check it out to see if any part relates to adductor release. In this video Gold also describes unpublished adductor release exercise: Lie on back with soles of feet together knees will fall out to the side Start to move legs up and down whilst rocking pelvis. Move feet down and repeat the process as far as you can. Reverse process and come back towards buttock. 2

Back to Basics Keller - Adductors working with a block between the legs Keller 1 146/147 & 164-166 Keller 2 144/145 See Keller 1 162 The realm of the adductors See Keeler 1 163 Inner thighs

Keller 2 Psoas 110 Releasing the psoas constructive rest position 111 lengthening the iliopsoas knee squeezing and extension 112 lower psoas muscle release 113 upper psoas muscle release 115 standing psoas release 117/118 psoas stretches Gentle lunge and straight leg lunge 118 more on the lunge Anjaneyasana variation making the lunge and warrior more effective 119 - Virabhadrasana

Keller 2 120 Shadows of the Psoas in the Core Sutra We cant always blame the psoas for problems in the core of the body. Local single joint muscles can also greatly affect posture forming a mini psoas which duplicates the function of the psoas. The Mini Psoas Muscles Keller 2 120 The Quadratus and Iliacus Keller 2 121 Stretching the Iliacus QL (Quadratus Lumborum) Variations on lunges, warrior poses, and even Parsvottanasana (pigeon?). See Lawrence Gold for QL exercise. 3

Back to Basics Keller 2 - 122 124 The Pectineus Psoas Minor Connection The effect of the pectineus is more widespread. As we pointed out earlier in our section on common dysfunctions the head of the femur tends to be adducted, approximated, internally rotated and inferiorly displaced, in other words, tight hips. The pectineus plays a major role in these tendencies and is quite evident in Baddhakonasana when the knees are so high the obstruct ones hearing. The pectineus exerts a pull between the thigh bone and pubic bone that can adduct the thighbone and by the same token, when the femur is fixed (as in standing), it pulls at the pubic bone and can cause pelvic rotation. The pectineus psoas minor connection is targeted in Warrior or Virabhadrasana 2

Keller 2 - 124-126 Iliacus Stretch Modified Pigeon Keller 2 126 Backbending and the Psoas 126 Releasing and Lengthening the Psoas Shalabhasana 127 128 Toning the Psoas Keller 2 128-130 Pigeon Pose Thomas Myers Massagetherapy.Com
Stretches for the Psoas Psubstitutes
If getting into either of these places is too difficult for you or the client, you can somewhat isolate these various tracks through lunging stretches, which are useful for assessment, or for client homework. If we take a simple, straightforward lunge, such as occurs in the yoga warrior poses or salute to the sun, we can see the hip flexors in the extended leg will be stretched. If, in the stretched-back leg, the heel is straight up, the psoas major will take the major part of the stretch. If the heel falls inward (and the weight comes onto the big toe side) then the pectineus-psoas minor track will also be included in the stretch. If the heel is allowed to fall to the outside (medial rotation of Sidebars: the femur, weight on the little toe side), then the stretch will include the iliacus-QL track. If you are steady on your feet in this position (or use a table to support yourself), you can move slowly from a medial rotation to a lateral rotation of the leg and feel the stretch move progressively along these three tracks. It is a matter of degree, of course Related Articles: - The Opinionated Psoas, Part 1 -- all three tracks are stretched in hip extension -- and there will be some differences among individuals, but it's a good test for which track to work, and a good hip opener - The Opinionated Psoas, Part 2 for those who have trouble getting their pelvis to sit squarely on their legs (Fig. 7). - The Opinionated Psoas, Part 3 - Psoas Health This completes our tour of the psoas major and surrounding muscles. We hope you have enjoyed this speculative journey through its many functions and aspects. Next issue, we will turn our attention away from the hip and toward the shoulder, to consider Thomas the bodyworker's nemesis, the levator scapulae. Myers, Certified Advanced Rolfer, LMT, NCTMB, studied directly with Drs. Ida Rolf and Moshe Feldenkrais, and has practiced integrative bodywork for more than 25 years in a variety of cultural and clinical settings. Myers directs Kinesis, Inc., which develops and runs training courses internationally for manual and movement therapists. He served as a founding member of the NCBTMB, and as chair of the Rolf Institute's Anatomy faculty. His articles have appeared in a number of magazines and journals, and a book is now available on his "Anatomy Trains" Myofascial Meridians approach. Myers retains a strong interest in perinatal and developmental issues around movement. His practice in Boston combines structural integration, physiological rhythmic sensitivity and

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movement. He lives, writes and sails on the coast of Maine.