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Yogic Leg Lifts will help to strengthen
and build awareness in the front of your belly and the connections
through to your front and inner thigh muscles. The one-legged version
(see Modification A) is something almost anyone
can practice. Developing strength with this exercise will prepare
you for the more challenging abdominal practices.
Not that it's not a great exercise on it's own —
because it is.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Lie on your back and extend your spine along the
ground
- Flex your feet so your ankles are bent at right
angles. Let your big toes touch and set the inside of your ankles
about one to two inches apart. You will maintain this foot position
throughout the exercise
- Interlace your fingers behind your neck with your
thumbs resting under your trapezia (muscles connecting your neck
and shoulders). Your thumbs will tell you if you are tightening
your neck and shoulders. If so, relax completely there
- Press your heels away from your hips. Maintain
this througout the exercise. Extending your legs this way combined
with the positioning of heels wider than toes will take the effort
of this exercise into your deep hip muscles
- On an inhale, lift both legs in rhythm with your
breath (see Modification A). At the end of
the inhale, your legs should be at their highest point. Do not
lift your legs so high that your sacrum leaves the ground. (Your
sacrum is the bone between the back of your hips at the base of
your spine.) Unless your hips are extremely flexible, this means
that your legs will rise to less than a 90-degree angle with your
torso. Pause briefly at the top
- On your exhale, slowly lower your legs in rhythm
with the breath. Try to exhale twice as long as you inhale. Lower
your legs until they almost touch the ground (see Modification
B). Pause briefly at the bottom
- Repeat for at least 2 minutes, and gradually challenge
yourself to increase your time to 5 minutes
Modification
A:
While you are learning your may need to lift one leg at a time.
If so, lift one for a minute (or what you can handle), then switch
to the other. Increase time as you are able. Be patient. With practice,
you will soon gain the strength to lift both for 2 to 3 minutes.
Modification
B:
Also while learning, you may need to let your leg or legs touch
the ground momentarily before lifting again with the next inhale.
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