Yoga for Hip Hop Heads
Hip hop dancing is high energy, and all that energy takes a lot of muscle and control. Almost every muscle comes into play when you dance, but hip hop is especially about the core, arms and shoulders. Muscle it up and loosen it up. Take control of your muscles and you will have the ultimate movement machine. But, how do you get there?
The perfect abdominal and upper body yoga moves are here to help.
Start on the floor in a high push-up position. Make sure your shoulders are directly over your wrists and your back is flat. No tushes protruding up into the air.
Really connect with your abdominals by drawing your navel toward your spine without lifting your tailbone. You are one smooth line of muscle just waiting to hear the beat.
It may look like nothing is happening, but push your palms hard into the floor to engage your arms into the shoulder joint. There is incredible strength in the stillness.
Now get ready to move. Stay in control by focusing on your abdominals. Draw your right knee in toward your heart center (sternum or breast bone). Quickly extend your leg and foot to tap back to the floor.
Keep going using quick, controlled movements. In and back. In and back. How many can you do with control? Let’s start with 16 and switch sides to the left leg for 16.
Next, alternate your right and left leg. Alternating sides requires even more abdominal strength as well as upper body/arm control. Go for a total of 32.
This is a perfect “do anywhere” power yoga play. To increase the challenge, increase the reps or the tempo. Move to a faster rhythm and try a little swivel of your hips, tapping the right knee down as your hips move right and then tapping your left knee down as your hips move left.
Take a moment to rest by sitting back on your heels in Child’s pose. Widen your knees, keeping your big toes touching and rest your torso on the floor between your knees. Ahhhh…check in with your breath.
Bring your focus to inhaling and exhaling with comfort. Be present and enjoy the merging of your body and your mind. Now let’s move on to Dolphin pose.
This pose will stretch the back of your body (think hamstrings and spine), as well as open your shoulders. Dolphin pose also strengthens shoulders and arms. Your entire upper body will be finely tuned for sharp arm movements and freezes.
First come onto your hands and knees on the floor. Check to make sure your knees are over your hips and your shoulders are over your wrists.
Next come onto your forearms with your elbows beneath your shoulders, and bring your palms together. To modify, place your palms flat to the floor to provide stability.
Curl your toes under and on your next exhalation lift your hips up and press your heels to the floor. Bring your focus to lifting your sitz bones (those little bony places right in the middle of each buttock), but keep pressing your heels to the floor. If your hamstrings are not having their happiest moment, bend your knees.
Keep an external rotation of the arms from the shoulder joint to open your chest and widen your collar bones. Press your forearms into the floor as you draw your navel in and up to heighten the role of your abdominals. Remember to keep your back flat.
Hold this pose for up to five minutes (work up to it) and then rest in Child’s pose.
A wonderful stretch and active rest, Child’s pose will elongate your spine and let you catch your breath.
Let’s add a super shoulder stretch here called Thread the Needle. Staying in Child’s pose, walk your right hand and arm so far forward that your forearm extends off the floor. Do keep your hand firmly grounded.
Reach your left arm (palms down) underneath your right arm. Reach as far as you can as you carefully roll onto your left shoulder and the left side of your head. Keep your right arm reaching forward, your left arm moving underneath the right arm, and your hips pressing to or toward your heels. As you hold this pose feel your shoulders opening and your spine getting longer.
Now switch sides.
Let’s do one more for the core. After all, your abs can never be too strong. Boat pose adds a balance component to your core concentration.
Sitting up on your sitz bones, draw your knees into your chest. Keep your shins parallel to the floor and the crown of your head moving straight up to the ceiling so that your vertebral column stays relatively stacked.
Now raise your arms so that they come right alongside your knees. Hold the pose but keep breathing. Focus on your breath and your abdominals.
If you want a little more challenge, straighten your legs to the ceiling. Make sure you don’t slump back though, so keep lifting your torso up and out of your hips. Hold for two to four minutes and relax your effort.
Now let out a big sigh of pleasure and get ready to groove!