While your hamstrings help you bend your knees, extend your legs, stand upright and move your hips, flexible and strong hamstrings can deepen your yoga practice, improve alignment and protect you from injury. Comprised of three muscles called the biceps femoris, semimembranosus and semitendinosus, your hamstrings run along the backs of your thighs from the base of your pelvis to your lower leg bones. Focus on yoga poses that stretch and strengthen this area for healthy hamstrings and a strong lower back.
Hamstring Problems
Tight hamstrings are caused by frequent sitting, running and walking. After any of these activities, take a few moments to stretch your hamstrings with yoga poses. Try standing or seated forward bends, the downward-facing dog, the hand-to-toe pose and lunges. Always warm up before stretching.
Engage Your Hamstrings
As you do your poses, keep the hamstrings engaged so they don't overstretch. Practice this while doing a wide-legged forward bend. With your feet wide apart and parallel to each other, bend forward and touch your hands to the floor or a yoga block. Make sure your knees do not overextend. To engage your hamstrings, isometrically draw your feet back and drop your sit bones slightly downward. Use this technique in all other poses for a healthy hamstring stretch.
Hamstring Strengtheners
Simple locust and bridge poses strengthen hamstrings. For locust pose, lie on your belly with your arms folded under your forehead; lift one leg at a time with toes pointed. To lift each leg, reach your big toe back and up. In bridge pose, keep your feet parallel and isometrically draw them back toward your shoulders to activate the hamstrings.
Neck Stretches for Hamstrings
Yoga neck stretches help the hamstrings. A study published in "Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics" found that working the sub-occipital muscles at the base of the neck will release tension in the hamstrings and increase range of motion in the hips. This is especially good if you have a hamstring injury. From a comfortable, cross-legged seated position, practice neck rolls from right to front to left; place your hands at the base of your skull with your elbows out and shoulders relaxed downward.
When Not to Stretch
If you feel any pain or strain in your hamstrings, use a yoga strap and avoid stretching too deeply. Slightly bend your knees in forward bends. Focus on the hamstring-strengthening poses, such as locust, bridge and warrior I. Walking helps, too, as it increases blood circulation in the muscle tissues.
References
- "Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics"; The Effect of Upper Cervical or Sacroiliac Manipulation on Hip Flexion and Range of Motion"; Henry Pollard and Graham Ward; November-December, 1998
- YogaTherapyWeb.com: Yoga Stretches for the Neck Help Hamstrings Too?
- YogaPlus.org; "Healing Hamstring Injuries"; Doug Keller; November/December 2006
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