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10 Minute Yoga: Hamstrings

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This hamstring routine starts with warming up the big muscle groups around the hips, thighs, core and back before we sit down to stretch.  You’ll get more flexibility out of your practice if your body is nice and warmed up before you sit and stretch.

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Down Dog

You’ve seen it, you’ve done it, and you probably know it quite well.  This time, practice down dog by bending slightly at your knees and then reaching your hips up as you lengthen your heels down.  Almost think of your lower back as slightly arching. You will feel this pose deeper in your hamstrings with this slight adjustment.  Hold here for 10 long breaths, letting your heels sink with each exhale.

Runners Lunge

Bring your right foot forward into runners lunge. Make sure your knee is over your front foot.  Come up onto your fingertips and breathe here for 5 breaths.

Runners Lunge with your knee down

From your runners lunge bend your back knee and place your hands on your front knee and gently press forward so you feel the stretch in the front of the back hip. 

Warrior 1

Bring your back heel down and straighten your back leg up into a warrior 1.  Square your hips to the front and reach your arms up.  Holding this pose for 10 breaths will start to light a fire in your legs.

Warrior 2

Stay steady in your warrior 1 and open up into warrior 2.  Keep your front knee bent over your foot and breathe here for 10 more breaths.

Extended Side Angle

Keep your legs in warrior 2 and place your forearm onto your bend leg and reach your other arm out over your front foot.  Keep steady in your legs and breathe here for 5 breaths.  Try and rotate your torso a bit up to create space between your legs and your upper body.

Triangle

Slip the hand on your leg down to the ground and straighten your front leg.  Reach your top arm straight up.  If your bottom hand doesn’t reach the ground rest it on your shin or ankle.  Lift up through your upper body so your torso doesn’t collapse onto your leg.  Breathe here for 5 breaths.

Half Moon

From triangle shift your weight onto your front leg.  Place your fingertips on the floor a little bit in front of your foot for balance.  Turn your hips and torso to the side and bring your top hand straight up.  Extend and flex through your back foot for balance and, once you feel steady, look up toward your top hand. 

Standing Split

Square your hips to the floor and bring your top hand down to meet your other hand, touching the ground for balance.  Move your head towards your standing leg and reach through your back thigh to move the leg up.  Don’t compromise your square hips for height in the back leg.  Your flexibility will improve if you stay true to your alignment here.

Down Dog

Come back into Down Dog, then do the whole series up to this point on the other side, and return again to Down Dog.

Straight leg hamstring stretch

Bring one leg forward to a lunge and straighten both legs, moving the back foot in about a foot or so and bring that back heel down to the ground.  Square your hips to the front leg and let your torso spill over your front leg like a bucket of water.

Knee down hamstring stretch

Bring your back knee down to the ground and start to straighten your front leg.  Keep working your hips to get them square and bring your torso over your front leg.

Splits

Bring your back knee down to the ground and tuck your back toes under.  Think of your back leg as your anchor and control center.  Flex your front foot and start to slide forward on your heel.  Don’t worry if you’re not creating the picture of the splits you think you should be.  It’s about working to keep your hips square instead of slamming down into the splits.

Repeat on other side.

Wide leg stretch over one leg

Have a seat and bring your legs out to the side.  Grab your ankle with your opposite hand and stretch over your leg.  Think of the opposite side of your back bending over your leg so it will feel like a forward bend and a twist.  Keep both hips on the ground.  Make sure to do both sides.

Wide leg stretch down the middle

Keep your legs out to the side and start to walk your hands down the center.  Try to keep on your fingertips to start so you don’t collapse in your torso.  Keep your quads pulled up and your feet flexed.  This protects the hamstrings from over pulling.

Forward bend straight back bent legs

Bring your feet together and bend your knees in so you can grab your feet.  Keep you back really straight.  This is a preparation for a forward bend with a flat back that enables you to get more out of the bend.  Keep your shoulders pulling back.

Forward bend straight back full stretch

Start to straighten your legs with your hands still holding your feet.  Only go as far as you can while keeping your back straight.  Doing a forward bend this way cuts out any cheating you can do with a rounded back and by practicing this way you’ll become more flexible faster.