Northwest Yoga Conference: Beyond Pigeon Pose: Yoga for the Hip Flexed Athlete

Namaste Yoga Friends,

Thank you so much for attending the conference and my presentation! I hope this information is helpful and I will follow up with an additional PDF or Video on Specific Myofascial release techniques for the hips.

Here are some key points to remember from the presentation.

– Fascia is part of the connective tissue system that encases various internal parts of our bodies and is made of a collagen like substance. Fascia is highly complex and we discussed fascial lines, but there are also fascial planes.

-Fascia is what binds our muscles together to assist in the shaping and alignment of muscles. It has a contract and relax capability to assist muscles during concentric and eccentric contractions. It protects and lubricates our muscles to move freely.

-When muscles are “dry” or overused/under-used the smooth fascial gliding motion is interrupted through tension and can lead to adhesions, which affects or leads to further inflammation, tissue trauma, asymmetries and/or pain. Myofascial release inhibits the muscles to restore blood and nutrient flow. It acts like a warmup or a massage to the muscles.

-If you are a student or have a student who are chronically tight in the hips or experience pain, they may benefit from self-myofascial release (SMR) with a foam roller or myofascial compression technique (MCT) from a tennis ball or compression ball. These links below send you to where you can purchase these items. I have ordered from this organization for years as a fitness mgr. and they have the best deals.  Power Systems click products then under the mind-body tab, click body rolling. This is beneficial to avoid forcing into a posture.

-There are various densities of foam rollers. The general level of increase is the White or Lite, Premium, High density then the Grid. The grid is great if you can afford it. The Grid Foam Roller or I recommend the black high density The more you foam roll you will eventually need a denser roller. And the myo-ball set includes the smaller ball which is similar to the tennis ball . 6in Red Myo-Therapy Ball

– I will send further instructions on how to foam roller/compress. You can use the foam roll to move about 1 inch per second or do an up 2 inches down 1 inch.

Click here to view the power point that includes a visual of the fascial lines.  Below are some videos that were taken during the presentation to give you an overview.

Here are some links below on the presentation.