Stretch space: hamstrings
I’ve started the series with the a group of muscles I’ve struggled with the most. The hamstrings. Even the word strings makes me thing of tight twanging instrument strings!
The hamstrings are made up of three muscles located at the back of the thigh running from the pelvis and hip bone to the below the back of the knee. Their main role is to bend (flex) the knee but they also help other muscles to move the hip and leg back behind the trunk (extend the hip). Activities that use both of these movements include walking, running, cycling, swimming. Our hamstrings can become tight for lots of reasons:
Participating in sport or gym strength programs and not stretching adequately.
Some of us are more prone to tightness because of our shape and genetics.
Tightness or weakness in some of the the other leg muscles can cause a compensatory overactivity and tightness in the hamstrings.
Low back pain and sciatica pain are closely linked with hamstring tightness.
One of the biggest contributors however is leading a sedentary lifestyle. If we sit for long parts of the day (at work or studying, driving, commuting on public transport, watching TV in the evening) we are leading a predominantly sedentary lifestyle even if we still manage to squeeze in the 30 minute walk or gym session. Our hamstrings can get tight as a result of being in the knees bent seat position for long periods of time.
Hamstring tightness is also thought to be linked to the inability to let go or being constantly in fight or flight mode.
For those of us with tight hamstrings that deep stretch felt in the hamstrings in poses such as Uttanasana (standing forward bend) or Paschimottanasana (seated forward bend) is killer. For beginners you begin to wonder if yoga is for you as everyone else in the class looks so comfortable and seem to just melt forward into position. I felt such discomfort in my hamstrings for years that I did everything to avoid the asanas that put them on stretch. During a flow or salutation I would choose to let my hamstrings off the hook by bending my knees more than necessary while I tried to achieve the pose . For me the aim was touch the floor or my toes. It wasn’t until I found Yin Yoga that I learned to stay with my discomfort and let go of the need to achieve the pose. Yin yoga and its slower deeper approach to the asanas allowed me the space to begin to let go of my need to control and perfect. I noticed a change after a few weeks.
Recently on our yoga teacher training course one of the instructors reminded us that '“your yoga is your yoga”. He asked us to let go of our expectation of what the asana is supposed to look like in order to really feel what is happening in the body and mind in the asana. Whatever stage you are at is where you are meant to be.
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