Have you ever thought you could have a more flexible, pain-free body? I'm Cloud, and like many people, I wasn't born with a naturally flexible body. I want to share my little story with you first.
When I took dance classes in primary school, I was one of the students the teacher had the least hope for. While every other student could easily do the splits, I struggled and couldn't get down. Because of this, when we had competitions, the teacher would put me in the least noticeable position to reduce the chances of our team losing points.
It wasn't until I was at university and happened to see a yoga book in a bookstore that my view on flexibility changed. I learned that in the world of yoga, the emphasis is on the process of practice and the integration of body, mind, and soul. After giving up on stretching for many years, I returned to it. The splits I couldn't do when I was eight years old, I could do more than ten years later, almost without noticing.
The process wasn't about trying to achieve a particular pose. It was about humbly accumulating the work, bit by bit, and peeling away the layers of tightness and stress stored in the body. I'm not sure if you've had the same experience, but I believe everyone can understand the profound joy that comes with having a body that is no longer tight and has more flexibility. It's a delightful feeling for both body and mind.
The front splits might seem out of reach, a pose reserved for dancers or gymnasts. However, the journey of practising the splits is one of the most effective and healing methods for releasing the chronic tightness and pain stored deep in our hips and lower back.
At CloudC Yoga, the core philosophy I want to promote is simple: practice is not about forcing your body into a perfect pose, but rather a calm and patient process of self-discovery. As I say in the video, we are here to "slowly discover our version of the splits through practice."
In this article, I hope to share the front splits practice with you and the deeper meaning behind the yoga practice. In addition to the article, you can follow the video tutorial below to start your journey.
Anatomy Focus: The Key Muscles for the Front Splits
Before we begin stretching, let's first understand the parts of the body we will be stretching. Understanding the muscles you are working on can help you practice more effectively and safely.
Hamstrings - Located at the back of your thighs. In modern life, these muscles are often tight due to prolonged periods of sitting, which is a primary cause of lower back pain. Regular stretching is key to releasing physical stress.
Hip Flexors (especially the Psoas) - Located at the front of your hips, they are responsible for lifting your thigh towards your body. Prolonged sitting can cause the hip flexors to become short and tight, pulling on the pelvis and leading to poor posture and discomfort.
Quadriceps - Located at the front of your thighs. In this practice, they get a deep stretch, which helps promote the health of the knee joint and the flexibility of the entire leg.
More Than a Pose: The Benefits of the Process
Just as in life, when we pursue different goals, the process of getting there often brings us the greatest rewards. The same is true for practising the front splits. Here are a few benefits of practising the splits:
Soothe Chronic Pain: When we stretch the hamstrings and hip flexors correctly, we can address the common tight spots that cause lower back pain and hip discomfort, releasing pressure and improving mobility.
More Freedom in Daily Activities: With increased lower body flexibility, daily activities can also become easier. After consistent practice, you will find that walking and running feel lighter, and even your sitting posture will be more comfortable.
Mind-Body Connection: The front splits are a very deep stretching practice. To practice safely, you must completely listen to your body's signals. In this process, you learn to communicate with your body and understand its messages, enhancing the mind-body connection.
Cultivate Patience: For many people, the front splits are a distant goal, but through consistent practice, many can successfully achieve them. During the period of practice and waiting, you cultivate patience.
Learn to Relax: In my yoga teaching, I often remind students, "As long as the mind is relaxed, the body will follow." You will realise the importance of rest and relaxing your mind in regular practice.
Five Preparatory Poses Before Practising the Front Splits
To safely explore the front splits, there is no need to force the body into the position. Instead, we use a series of targeted preparatory poses to create space in the body slowly. Here are five core preparatory poses that, through regular practice, will slowly open up your body's space and lead you towards the depth of the stretch.
1. Sun Salutation (Sūrya Namaskāra)
The Sun Salutation is a sequence of movements that serves as a traditional warm-up in yoga practice. It's like a morning dance for the body, gently waking up all the muscles and joints, increasing body temperature and blood circulation, and building a safe and stable foundation for the deeper stretches that follow.
Benefits
Gently stretches the whole body, including the hamstrings, hip flexors, and spine.
It also builds a connection between breath and movement, helping to focus the mind and enter a state of practice.
The Standing Forward Bend is a fundamental yet extremely effective pose that can deeply open up the tightness in the back of the thighs (the hamstrings). When practising, remember to keep your knees slightly bent, especially for beginners, to protect your lower back and knee joints. Our goal is not for the hands to touch the floor, but to feel the relaxation of the entire back and the stretch in the back of the legs.
Benefits:
Deeply stretches the hamstrings and calf muscles.
Releases pressure on the spine and neck.
Practising forward-bending postures also has a calming effect on the mind and body.
Utthan Pristhāsana
Lizard Pose is a deep hip-opening pose. It can simultaneously stretch the outer hip of the front leg and the hip flexor of the back leg. Depending on your flexibility, you can use yoga blocks to adjust the height and the depth of the stretch.
Benefits:
An excellent hip-opening pose that can effectively improve hip joint flexibility.
Deeply stretches the hip flexors and quadriceps.
Ardha Hanumānāsana
The Half Splits are the most essential preparatory pose in the practice for the full splits. The key to the practice is to keep the hips neutral and the spine long, imagining your heart is extending towards the toes of your front foot.
Benefits
Precisely and deeply stretches the entire hamstring of the front leg.
Enhances body awareness and teaches how to maintain pelvic stability during a stretch.
This pose adds a gentle twist and stretch to the low lunge, targeting the quadriceps on the front of the back leg and the deep hip flexors. The flexibility of these two areas is the key to whether the front splits can be completed comfortably.
Benefits
Stretches the quadriceps of the back leg, which is one of the tightest areas for many people.
Further opens the hip flexors to create more space in the hip joint.
Gently twists the spine, increasing the body's range of motion and releasing stress.
Enjoy Your Practice Journey
I hope you liked this sharing. Set aside one day a week for deep stretching, allowing your body and mind to open up gradually. Quietly feel your breath, be grateful for your body, and take good care of yourself.
As always, sending you peace and joy.
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As always, sending peace and healing energy.
Cloud @ Cloud Yoga :-)
