Do you know where your hip joints are? Stand up and point to where you think your hip joints are. Are you touching the outer portion of your leg? Or maybe the top of your pelvis? When I ask this in classes, I see many different ways people imagine their hips to be.
Having a clear body map of your hips is key to reducing compression in your lower back! And when you embody the way your hip joints are designed to move, your whole system functions with greater ease.
Look at the pics below – the happy golfer is bending from the articulation of his hip joint and pelvis. In contrast, the beach explorer is not allowing freedom in his hip socket, so the bending is forced into in his lower back.
When we sit incorrectly for long periods (collapsed back on our tailbone) or stand with a locked pelvis, our hip joints get pushed too far forward which causes hip flexor tightness and may lead to impingement issues.
So try this as you're sitting there: place your hands on your sitz bones – get familiar with these “rockers” and allow your bum to balance right on top of them. Now, place your hands in the fold of your hip crease and think of space and a loosening energy between your sitz bones and hip joints. Now before you stand, rock from your sitz bones and soften your hip crease. Do this prior to standing or anytime you feel your back start to tighten up.
In Alexander Technique lessons we explore how our hip joints and all our joints move through simple exercises, myofascial release and mindful meditation. Email me at pampilates1@yahoo.com for more info.
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