Hands Free Jubilee
Hips, Core, Balance, Mobility
This mini-flow practices the graceful art of moving from standing to seated without the use of your hands. Return to your childhood movement patterns with this functional flow!
Supine Knees to Chest
Lay on your back with your hands clasped behind your head. Pull the navel inwards to engage the core as you pull the knees into the chest. Feel the sacrum grounding as it makes solid contact with the mat beneath you. For extra core work, feel free to lift the shoulder blades off the ground into a crunch position.
Roll to Kneeling
Using as little momentum as possible, cross the legs and roll forward. Try to maintain the clasp of the hands behind the head through this movement. The goal here is to use core control and engagement to shift your center of gravity as the chest lifts. When you start, you may need to rock back and forth on the spine several times to gain momentum. Releasing the clasp of the hands so that they can reach forward is another way to modify this movement.
Come to kneeling and uncross the legs. Pull the navel in and upwards. Shine through the chest with your hands still clasped. Take a moment here to retract the shoulder blades by engaging the rhomboids on your upper back, as you pull the elbows backwards.
Kneeling with Arms Behind Head
Squat with Arms Behind Head (Malasana Variation)
Roll backwards over the heels into a squatting position. For more fluid movement, try to keep the feet parallel with one another. To stretch deeper into the hips, feel free to bring the feet to 45-degree angles with the toes pointing out slightly. Engage the core, lower back, and glutes to lift the chest.
Crescent Lunge with Arms Behind Head
Step the left leg to the back of the mat to Crescent Lunge. Engage the left thigh to straighten the back leg. Sink slightly lower in the front knee so that it comes towards 90-degrees. Lift the chest with the hands still clasped and engage the core to avoid arching excessively in the lower back.
Standing Knee to Chest
On an inhale, bend into the front knee then dynamically push off into a one-legged standing position with the right knee up into the chest and the left leg grounded. As the navel pulls in, the knee lifts higher. Shine through the chest and reach up through the crown of the head to create length in the spine.
Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)
Slowly begin to lean the upper body forward. As the chest sinks, straighten the back leg towards Warrior III, lifting it parallel to the floor. Reach forward through the crown of the head and backwards through the back heel. Feel free to find a slight bend in the grounded leg if you’re prone to hyperextension in the knee.
Pistol Squat Negative
Pendulum the back leg so it comes forward as you bend into the grounded leg. Shift the weight into the grounded heel as the leg bends. Continue through a one legged squat, until you come all the way down to the ground. Don’t worry about falling down, just control the movement as much as possible. The arms and chest may come to reach forward to counterbalance the hips sinking back.
Twisting One-Legged Forward Fold (Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana)
Once the Sitz bones find the ground (with the left knee bent), bring the sole of the left foot to the opposite thigh. Re-clasp the hands behind the head if necessary. Rotate the body to the left, then allow the right elbow to sink down towards the right knee as the left elbow reaches overhead towards the extended foot.
Boat with Hand Behind Head (Navasana Variation)
Untwist, straighten the bent leg, and lift both legs off the ground at a 45-degree angle. While maintaining the clasp of the hands, shine the chest upwards by retracting the shoulder blades and engaging the core. On an exhale, see if you can lift the legs and chest slightly higher without losing the integrity in the upper body. Hold for several breathes, then relax and repeat on the opposite side.
Did you try this flow? Let us know your thoughts!
