"Yoga Butt". Not as perky as it sounds, sadly.
'Yoga butt' has become the term synonymous for Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy — a common injury in the yoga community and a literal pain in the ass. It’s caused by over-stretching and under-strengthening the muscles in your posterior chain (think lots of forward folds and pigeon pose that lengthens the hamstrings and glutes), and radiates discomfort from your lower back and down your legs. A real nuisance for your practice, and everyday movement. Of course, this issue isn't limited to the bum and hamstrings. It's true of any muscle group that's being stretched without strengthened.
Here’s the truth: a yoga practice alone, while amazing for flexibility, balance, endurance, mobility and mindfulness, isn’t always enough to build a resilient, injury-proof body. That’s why incorporating strength training is key to supporting your flexibility and stability, helping you move through life (and your practice) with strength and ease.
That's why I've developed Yoga Sculpt.
My Saturday morning body conditioning workout class, using weight, resistance and high-rep muscular endurance training to build muscles that are both strong AND long.
Targeting the lower body, core and upper body, we'll train our muscles to engage and endure time under tension and/or added load. I'll guide you through sets of high-repetition exercises, designed to support and enhance your yoga practice. Things like Single Leg RDLs (ta-da, your Warrior 3 just levelled up), Sumo Squats (making 5 breaths in Goddess feel much more comfortable), and eccentric push ups (to achieve a strong and controlled Chaturanga). By focusing on building strength within familiar yoga shapes and transitions, you'll not only be ticking the box of maintaining muscular strength and endurance from a health and injury-prevention perspective, but it'll be game changing for your yoga practice too.
Suddenly you will start to feel stronger in your chair pose, sturdier in your balances, safer in your backbends, and find yourself flowing from pose to pose with more stability and ease. My clients have noticed the difference:
"Since starting Yoga Sculpt I've noticed myself doing things I couldn't do before. Rising up from a low lunge to a high lunge (with no hands) was a real challenge before, but now I can do it confidently, albeit still a little wobbly! I also feel generally more physically resilient in daily tasks; I can feel the difference when walking the dogs and doing the gardening - everything just feels easier and stronger!" And you will, too, whether you start training in the gym, or fit Yoga Sculpt into your weekly routine, or find another method to strength train that you enjoy.
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