Trouble keeping 'sit bones' on heels

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

Author

Posts
synchro.idiotic
Participant

January 8, 2009 at 6:17 pm

Post count: 16

#1286

Maybe you can help me figure out if I’m doing something wrong here. During poses like this that require me to sit on on my heels, shins down on the mat, I always seem to lift my glutes off my heels as I bend forward. It happens in child’s pose too – my butt lifts up a bit. Is this natural, or are there any adjustments or stretches I should try to counter it?

Ithisia
Participant

January 8, 2009 at 7:54 pm

Post count: 3

#4017

It’s not at all uncommon for your glutes to lift if your hips are tight. It is OK for it to lift, and over time as you practice your hips will sit lower and one day not lift anymore. When the hips are tight, the glutes lift when leaning forward. If that makes sense.

-Angela

fraseram
Participant

January 9, 2009 at 6:41 am

Post count: 356

#4021

very common. When you do get to the floor keep pushing back down onto your heels

Tom Leimert
Participant

January 9, 2009 at 6:49 pm

Post count: 3

#4022

Another thing that might help: press the little fingers of your extended hands against the floor. This provides leverage to help you lower the hips.

Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
Forum Owner

January 10, 2009 at 6:30 am

Post count: 3048

#4028

Hello synchro-idiotic

What may really help you is this: focus on an extension of the spine as you bring your body to the floor. Where your eyes look is also going to help this. So make sure you are looking forward (not just at the floor but forward in a mirror or a couple of yards in front) as you extend your body upward, outward and then downward.

Even though you are aiming to keep the hips seated, just try, the hips will lift in 99% of cases even if just a little. There are many factors at play: flexibility, back strength, core strength, and a real biggie: tightness of latissimus dorsi. If you have tightness here then a lot of your work during the pose (rather than in the entry) will pay dividends over time.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂
Author

Posts