Hamstring Helper

I have never been an athlete. I never played a team sport, not even as a child. And yet, my hamstrings were fairly tight, probably due to the fact that men generally have more tightness in the hamstrings than women. Over the years, yoga has certainly helped me gain more flexibility, and I’m happy to share with you a small collection of my go-to yoga poses for stretching those hamstrings.

By the way, your hamstring muscles are the muscles on the backs of your thighs that enable you to walk, climb stairs, do squats and many other leg movements. Hamstring injuries are the most common sports injury.

Dandasana is probably the simplest of these poses, which is why I chose to start with this one. The following instructions work regardless of how (or if) you prop yourself in this pose.

This pose is essential to your hamstring repertoire! You’ll work one leg at a time, and you need only your belt.

1. Lie down on your back. If you feel any neck strain while lying on the floor, place a folded blanket under the base of your skull.
2. Bring your belt around your left foot and extend your left leg vertically with your left foot flexed open toward the ceiling. You may find that your leg doesn’t extend exactly vertically from your hip. Tighter hamstrings may require that your lifted leg be extended more diagonally forward from your hip.
3. You have two options for where to place your hands on the belt. First, you could extend your arms toward the ankle of your lifted leg, but make sure your shoulder blades remain on the floor so that your back doesn’t round. Second, you could bend your elbows and let the belt pass through your hands until your elbows rest on the floor next to your ribcage; this option more readily broadens the chest. Whichever option you choose, make sure there is sufficient tension on the belt to support the full extension of the lifted leg.
4. You have two options for your right leg, as well. First, you could extend it along the floor, keeping the foot flexed so that the muscles in your leg remain engaged and active. They’ll work almost as much as the muscles in your lifted left leg. Second, you could bend your right knee and plant your right foot on the floor. Make sure to keep the foot firmly grounded so that your knee doesn’t drift out to the side. This option is especially useful if you have lower back sensitivity, as it releases the lower back into the floor and deactivates it.
5. Hold this position as long as you comfortably can, starting with 30 seconds and working up to as much as five minutes. Remember, you want to keep the lifted leg engaged. If you need to give it a rest, bend the knee for a breath or two, and then straighten the leg again.
6. Repeat on the right leg.

1. Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) with your feet parallel and close together.
2. Loop your belt around your left foot, holding it firmly with one half of the belt in each hand.
3. Walk your hands down the belt a few inches and stretch the belt taut, lengthening your spine and releasing your shoulders back and down to broaden the chest.
4. Slide your left foot forward until just the heel rests on the floor, keeping your foot flexed.
5. Use the belt to help lift your fully extended leg away from the floor, letting your elbows bend toward and rest next to your side ribs. Bring the leg as high as you can toward parallel to the floor without letting the knee bend. You may find that your leg doesn’t come up as high as you’d like, but don’t despair. The height of the lift is secondary to maintaining a fully extended leg (no bend in the knee).
6. This is a balancing pose, so if you find yourself unsteady or wobbly, don’t be alarmed. I’ll address this issue in the second option.
7. Try to maintain the torso’s vertical position as if you were still standing in Mountain Pose. It’s a direct vertical line from the heel of your right foot to the crown of your head. Avoid leaning backward to lift your right leg higher, as it is less stable and more likely to throw you off-balance. And it doesn’t actually bring greater flexibility to the hamstrings; the lift comes at the expense of the alignment of the rest of the body.
8. Remain in the pose for 30 seconds or more if you can. You can always start small and increase the time you stay in the pose over time.
9. Repeat with the right leg.

Up Against the Wall!

If you find it challenging to retain your balance in the previous version of Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, this variation will undoubtedly help you! It removes the balance element of the pose and easily keeps you vertically aligned.

Hips Against the Wall

1. Stand with your butt and back against the wall and your feet approximately 12 inches from the wall. Play with the distance from wall, taking your feet further way if you need to. Your feet can be close together or as much as hip-width apart.
2. With your butt against the wall, hinge forward, letting your spine round and your head drop so that your neck muscles relax. Allow your arms to simply hang from your shoulders. Keep your legs fully extended (no bend in the knees), even if this limits your forward bend.
3. Remain in this position for as long as you like, possibly up to 2 minutes or more.

Facing the Wall

This version is more intense but provides a deep stretch for the hamstrings and calves. Some of my students report discomfort in this pose, specifically more limited breath capacity. It’s especially true for women with larger chests or anyone with a larger belly, as the lungs are more compressed in this variation. If you experience this type of discomfort or have difficulty breathing, immediately come out of the pose and stay with the previous option.

1. Stand in Mountain Pose facing a wall with your feet approximately 18 inches distant from the wall. They can be as close together as you like or as much as hip-width apart. The distance between the wall and your feet is a big variable, so you’ll want to explore this relationship throughout the pose.
2. Bring your hands to the wall and begin walking them down toward the floor, letting the back of your head come to rest against the wall. You may have to lean forward and adjust the position of your feet in order to make contact. If this manifests a deep hamstring stretch for you, remain here for several breaths before going further. Listen to your body and just stay here if going further doesn’t seem right. You can always go deeper in the future.
3. If you choose to go further with this pose, take it in small increments. Lean into the wall a little more, bringing your hands closer to the floor (or onto the floor) and allowing first the back of your neck to make contact with the wall. Little by little, you may find that you can release your shoulders, then your shoulder blades, and maybe even your middle back onto the wall.
4. Keep your heels grounded if possible. Maintain full extension of your legs if you can. To give a little rest to your legs without coming out of the pose, bend your knees slightly for a breath or two before straightening the legs again.
5. Stay with this pose for up to five minutes.
6. When you’re ready to come out of the pose, take it slowly and BREATHE! Take all the time you need to exit slowly and continue breathing so as not to get lightheaded. I don’t want you to pass out! Here are my recommendations:
   A. reverse the steps you took to come into the pose, returning to Mountain Pose facing the wall. I often rest my forehead against the wall for a few breaths after coming up to make sure that my equilibrium returns to normal before moving away from the wall.
   B. With your back against the wall, slowly bend your knees and lift your heels, coming into a squatting position with your forehead against the wall. Stay here for a few breaths until you feel stable enough to come away from the wall.

This pose is a great way to finish a practice, as it reverses the effect of gravity on the legs and removes all weight-bearing from them. Viparita Karani stimulates the relaxation response and can provide a more subtle stretch to the hamstrings and calves. It’s also a great pose to do if you have difficulty falling asleep or going back to sleep. Try it!

If you don’t have open wall space, try this pose against a closed door. But make sure no one will open the door into you! Ask not to be disturbed. Or lock the door, if necessary.