My Daily Routine For Hip and Back Health…Listening To The Drovers

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_J3A0cPgpU]

I absolutely LOVE doing this piece of my daily routine.  It combines hip stretching, balance, coordination, strength, and agility.  It's also a very important move to do if you have lower crossed syndrome or you sit a lot.

I realize that many people will have knee or foot or hip issues or other things that may keep you from performing this series as shown.  You can adapt the movement by not dipping down as far as I do into the lunge and squat movements.

And it was a total Drovers morning for me.  I usually listen to a podcast or something educational but today I was driven by the Drovers so I decided to let you hear what I was hearing as I was doing the movement series.

It's extremely useful for improving coordination because it mimics the "contralateral" infant develop pattern as learned from Voita, Kolar, et al. in Eastern Europe that connects the right and left sides of your brain!

Pay close attention to the text cues on the screen because they point out the "little hinges" that swing big doors!

This also uses the power of "eidetic perception" or the ability to use imagery and this "Intention" is everything when you are attempting to activate you deep core stability system.

The Imagination and Intention of your movement is arguably even more important than the movement itself.

Let me know what you think of this important movement in the comments.  Were you able to do it?  What kept you from doing it?  Balance?  Strength?  Knee pain?  Toe inflexibility?  LEAVE YOUR COMMENT BELOW NOW!

Comments

  1. Hi!

    The movement is a good one but not comprehensive. I mean to say that in my case my hips tighten up and it needs more rotation in a downward direction. So, the movment you are doing is fine but if you want to create a more comprehensive stretching routine then I think a number of movements are important. I personally spend a couple of hours a day on hip, neck, shoulder, leg stretches and it takes quite a long time for me to feel the stretches. Of course, everyone one has a different body structure so that requires understanding. Good luck in your research.
    Sid

    • That’s awesome you spend that time on yourself, Sid. You’re exactly right. This is not comprehensive and rotational moves are just as, if not more, important depending on the needs of your bodymind..

      As I stated in the blog post, this is a “piece” of what I do. The rotational stuff is just as amazing. Like you said…exploring ALL range of movement is important.

      Thanks for your feedback!

      drh

  2. Wow. First off, I love your music, that’s great – what is it again, just terrific.

    I tried this, you looked too compelling standing there, beckoning. This is what I felt – my upper thighs BURNED like crazy in the first part of what you were doing. And I don’t believe I did or could get my butt down anywhere near as low as you did. Was that like going into a seated position and rising from it, all without a chair?

    Super cool but my thighs really took the hit. Your musculature is spectaculur – in addition to these exercises do you do other weight-lifting, yoga or other exercises for your muscle strength?? Should we?

    When you really began with your hands and it said on the video how important the hand movements were I was mesmerized but a little lost, it felt complicated to combine all movements. I tried moving my hands at least and just let myself watch.

    And THEN – when you did what seemed like – how to describe – squat/lunge in place sort of? maybe I’m describing this wrong – but the burn was somehow in my shins. Where I’ve never felt anything in my life (except shin splints perhaps, running on a tennis court for the first time, or hiking up a hill).

    What to make of my thoughts and limitations here? I look forward to looking at this tomorrow when I’m fully awake

    Thanks, love the outdoor setting too,
    Di

    • Music is the Drovers from the “Little High Sky Show” album. Song was Bag 2.

      Thigh burning most likely means poorly conditioned muscles for squatting.

      I do mainly bodyweight exercises and yoga (lots of sun salutations) with the addition of balls and resistance bands to increase variety and difficulty and am getting more into kettlebell training starting with get ups and swings.

      Bodyweight exercise is a great place to start.

      Shin burning is most likely also do to deconditioned muscles that are waking up.

      Start slow and ensure perfect form no matter what.

  3. I just happened to stubble onto your site this morning. I am always interested in learning different stretching exercises for the lower back and hips. I have had my left iliac crest injected twice along with a spot in my sacral spine due to arthritis. I felt the burning in my anterior thighs. Didn’t feel anything in the lower back. Thanks for the info.

  4. What a wonderful series for a quick stretch / loosening after sitting in a meeting for a few hours (and at my desk for a few hours before that).
    I couldn’t get into a full squat at the beginning, but did get about 1/2 way down. Hips definitely tight from all the sitting.
    The lunges loosened things up, and I went back to the full squat when I was done your series. No problem getting into or out of the full squat at the end. Everything nice and loose / flexible.

    Thanks for the soundtrack too.

    Beth

  5. Wow, I’ve been lifting for years and your perfect form for a squat is what I aspire to. ( sadly have yet to achieve it though!)
    You are able to perform a true squat just like any two year old. And with your arm up straight over your head!! Amazing. Watch any little toddler squat down to play with a toy, their behind hits their feet and their knees do not extend over their feet. Occasionally an exceptional body builder can perform them correctly too but just look around any gym, bad form abounds.
    Its a very rare thing in an adult to have that perfect blend of balance, strength and flexibility. Congratulations.
    This was a great short video and I will try and imitate you.
    Thanks for posting it up.

    • It has taken me years to achieve, Susan. A lot of DEprogramming from bad form with years of competitive athletics.

      Aspiring to infant moves is a great goal but acceptance of where you are in the present moment is even more important.

      This was fun for me to post.

      Thanks for your comment.

      drh

  6. Thanks for the info. I tried the movements last night. Cannot get to a really low squat but what I did did not hurt my knees or back, perhaps because I did not get too low. I do need to much more work on lunges and this one will be a great addition. And I need to build up strength and stamina.
    Diana

  7. Hmmm! Maybe 30 years ago but not now. Hips are too tight. Thighs and knees are weak. I’ll keep working on the squat though.

  8. Thanks for another great post Steve. The intention of reaching and pushing away is such a great way to activate the core. What intention would you ascribe to the legs?

    I feel like I need to generate an enormous amount of stiffness in order to keep my hips centrated, and then my breathing feels very forced. It also make the exercise quite exhausting. Should I try to loosen up and use less force, or just do short periods of high stiffness?

    • Yes, definitely loosen up. Centered breathing IS stability so calm down and use a good, low, slow, and functional breath to create your stability for you. Regarding leg intention, it’s more about pushing away from my feet’s support points to make me light as possible…even floating.

  9. Here are some tips for getting into a full squat. First of all, when going down, hold on to a table. This prevents too much stress on your legs if you have not done this for a long time. Go slowly so that you can strengthen the muscles. If you go too fast you will not strengthen the micro-muscles as much. There are books on slow-motion weight lifting that can help you on this. If you have stronger legs you can hold on to a stool, side of bed, etc., while watching television.

    Study martial arts exercises and learn all the leg exercises you can work with. Go slowly. You want to do your exercises as you would if you were practicing tai chi chuan or yoga. It is better if you can experiment with a new exercise by yourself as some teachers may push you too much or not give you enough time to understand how to handle the exercise. Nothing wrong with keeping a journal. Do the exercise both in the morning and the evening. There is a big difference in your muscularity. Doing the stretching before bedtime gives you a head-start in the morning in flexibility, etc.

    The website you are on is very good. You might ask for others to give you ideas on how to handle other muscular problems. For example, I have DVT and there really isn’t enough info about exercises resolving this problem. So, for over a year I have experimented with a number of exercises and they have helped. BTW, if you do numerous leg exercises I feel that you will avoid the scary warnings that you often read regarding blood clots. Frankly, I think that if you do not have the problem then you will not know much about it. The info I read did very little for me until I began studying the numerous leg exercises. It can be quite an absorbing hobby!!

    Wish everyone the best. I want to emphasize this, however. Motivation is everything. And, the issue here should have the highest priority — otherwise you won’t go very far with the healing factor. And keep in touch with
    websites such as this one.

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