H A P P Y
H A M S T R I N G S
Do you suffer with lower back pain?
Are you sitting for long periods of time?
Do you suffer from discomfort in the knees?
If you answer any of the above questions with "Y E S" then this weeks classes are for you. As it says in the tittle we will be working towards finding happier hamstrings, in order to identify an imbalance through this set of muscles we first have to understand their function and purpose.
A N A T O M Y O F T H E H A M S T R I N G S
There are three major muscles that form the hamstring:
Biceps Femoris (allows your knee to flex and rotate and your hip to extend).
Semimembranosus (allows the thigh to extend, knee to flex, and tibia to rotate).
Semitendinosus (It allows the thigh to extend, tibia to rotate, and knee to flex).
These three muscles attach at the top to the Ischial Tuberosity (also known as your sit bones) and just bellow the knee joint, they are innervated by the sciatic nerve (L4-S3), considerably linking them to that familiar lower back discomfort and poor posture. When our hamstrings are tight they 'pull' on our sit bones drawing the pelvis into retroversion, tilting the pelvis backwards and forcing the lower spine into flexion. The tighter your hamstrings are the more pressure they put on your lower vertebrae.
Similarly, malfunctioning hamstrings create faulty movement patterns, which affect the alignment and health of the knees. If the range of motion of the hip is compromised due to inefficiently working hamstrings that prohibit full extension of the hip, the quadriceps tend to work overtime, this puts a enormous amount of pressure on the knee cap (patella) and can cause ware through connecting tendons and ligaments.
S T R E N G T H / F L E X I B I L I T Y
Vulnerability through the lower back and knee are often caused by over stretching of the hamstring (especially in Yoga), it is important that we find a balance between contraction and extension of not only the hamstrings themselves but also the surrounding muscles. Increasing the elasticity of our muscles and range of motion through neighbouring joints helps protect us from injury, while building strength gives us the stability to execute this flexibility safely.
As you can see the hamstrings have a large responsibility in the overall function of the lower body, finding equilibrium through this set of muscles aids healthy transmission and activity of adjoining areas of the body.
Come and join our S E Y community this week and relieve the hamstrings of tension built up by the multiple hours we spend sat at the desk or in front of the TV, all classes bookable through my website.
T H U R S D A Y
12:15pm Express Flow
5:30pm Vinaysa Flow
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