We all know that Pinocchio feeling of waking up tight in the morning and taking an hour to start moving again. The same happens at night when we come back from work, having sat at our desk for most of the day. As we get into the sedentary loop the tightness gets worse. To make up for all the sitting, standing, and walking we try to stretch at the gym after every workout, or add a yoga class to our routine. But stretching alone, or just one or two yoga classes a week doesn’t do the job.

The hamstrings are still tight, and so are the hips. We do what’s needed, but then learn to live with the stiffness. We blame it on the age, the long work hours, the lack of time to go to the gym. We don’t have to, though. A regular home practice especially geared towards stretching the hamstrings and the pelvic girdle will get us flexible in no time.

When I first picked up Yoga, I was epically stiff. Even down dog was a struggle. So I pushed into the practice real hard, only to get stiffer. The body got shocked from the intensity. I was mimicking the teacher, without understanding what my body really needed and how to approach my stiffness in an informed and patient way. So I got injured. The notorious Yoga butt syndrome struck me to the bones. Then I had to stay off yoga for a while, which was even more frustrating.

In the recovery process, I started learning more about the body’s anatomy in motion, and figuring out that in order to get more flexible, I had to get stronger first. I found out the effectiveness of compound stretching, which made me target a couple of muscle groups at the same time. I noticed how the hamstrings were held by the gluteus and supported by the IT band. So I started to open up the hips first. I was amazed to see how a simple rolling of the foot to the side, activated the adductors and gluteus while encasing the hamstrings.

I also came up with ingenious stretches that covered the entire leg muscles and tendons, from the Achilles through the hamstrings to the IT band, the adductors and the gluteus. All these muscles supported the tendons and held by the ligaments and bands allowed freer movement in the joints. And there’s the rub. If you are eager to stretch one tendon or muscle group, you have to prepare all the adjacent and neighboring muscles, ligaments, joints and tendons that generate the movement.

Otherwise, you risk overstretching just one ligament, pulling a muscle or injuring a tendon, which will throw your entire pelvis out of balance. On the one hand, the body is a holistic entity that requires a well-rounded and wholesome approach. Movement on the other hand, does not happen linearly. It looks flat, but in fact is triggered by an inner spiral in the sacrum, which facilitates every step and motion. Accessing the spiral dynamics allows us to broaden our range of motion while stretching a set of muscle groups at the same time.

Next time you get stiff hamstrings, don’t hesitate! Stick to compound stretching to bend over effortlessly and freely. You will loosen up your hamstrings, but also free up your mind to discover the structural integration of your body and how it affects the integrity of your being.

Hamstrings Yoga Routine: Loosen Up (open level)

This yoga routine uses compound stretching to access all the joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles that hold and support the hamstrings. You will activate the gluteus, IT band, adductors and quads to contract and expand the hamstrings in a safe and supported way.