Once you begin to sleep on your side and your baby continues to grow, you may notice a lot of pressure in your hips and some soreness on the outside of the hips & buttocks. Fire Log pose is a great solution for stretching the hips, the sciatic nerve, and the buttocks. Like all yoga poses, it is extremely important to take your time to come into the pose and once there, take a moment to notice how it feels. Adjust if needed or come out of the pose if it is painful.
To begin start sitting on your mat with your legs extended straight in front of you. Elongate the spine here and then remove any extra flesh from underneath your sit-bones. Flex the feet, bringing the toes up toward the ceiling and then go ahead and roll your feet around a few times in both directions.
To begin start sitting on your mat with your legs extended straight in front of you. Elongate the spine here and then remove any extra flesh from underneath your sit-bones. Flex the feet, bringing the toes up toward the ceiling and then go ahead and roll your feet around a few times in both directions.
Fold the left leg in front of the body, again keeping the foot flexed. Then bend the right leg and stack it on top of the left so that the right ankle is on top of the left knee and the right knee is on top of the left ankle. Keep both feet flexed to protect the knees.
Before moving on take a moment to check in with your body and how this feels. You should be feeling more of a stretch move through the right hip. If this is too intense for you, you can slide the right ankle down a bit and place it on top of the side of the left calf muscle. Again, if this is too intense, you can extend the left leg out in front (keeping the foot flexed) and place the right ankle on top of the knee this way.
Next, sit up straight, relax the shoulders, close the eyes. You can place the hands at your side and take several deep breaths here. Breath in and out of the nose and direct your breath deep to your hips and buttocks. If you'd like more intensity you can then fold from the hip, with a flat back as you walk your hands forward in line with your knees. If the belly allows & it's comfortable, you can fold further and extend your arms in front of you. Keep the back straight but relax the shoulders. Again, close your eyes and breathe.
When you're ready to switch sides, take your time to come out of the pose. Extend your legs in front of your body once again and roll the feet around or shake the legs a little bit. Often times our legs can get a little tingly when in Fire Log. If that happens, take a few minutes in between sides. Once you're ready to move onto the other side tuck the right leg in and stack the left leg on top. Follow the same directions above. You may notice this side feels different. It may be more intense or your body may be able to fold more deeply. Just allow yourself the time to examine how the pose feels, notice the difference, and adjust accordingly. Focus on your breath as you close the eyes and relax into the pose.
This is a great pose to do in the morning, especially if your hips are throbbing from shifting from side to side while sleeping. Once you're done you may even want to throw in some Cat/Cow or a Downward Dog. Just do what feels good & right for your body!
Before moving on take a moment to check in with your body and how this feels. You should be feeling more of a stretch move through the right hip. If this is too intense for you, you can slide the right ankle down a bit and place it on top of the side of the left calf muscle. Again, if this is too intense, you can extend the left leg out in front (keeping the foot flexed) and place the right ankle on top of the knee this way.
Next, sit up straight, relax the shoulders, close the eyes. You can place the hands at your side and take several deep breaths here. Breath in and out of the nose and direct your breath deep to your hips and buttocks. If you'd like more intensity you can then fold from the hip, with a flat back as you walk your hands forward in line with your knees. If the belly allows & it's comfortable, you can fold further and extend your arms in front of you. Keep the back straight but relax the shoulders. Again, close your eyes and breathe.
When you're ready to switch sides, take your time to come out of the pose. Extend your legs in front of your body once again and roll the feet around or shake the legs a little bit. Often times our legs can get a little tingly when in Fire Log. If that happens, take a few minutes in between sides. Once you're ready to move onto the other side tuck the right leg in and stack the left leg on top. Follow the same directions above. You may notice this side feels different. It may be more intense or your body may be able to fold more deeply. Just allow yourself the time to examine how the pose feels, notice the difference, and adjust accordingly. Focus on your breath as you close the eyes and relax into the pose.
This is a great pose to do in the morning, especially if your hips are throbbing from shifting from side to side while sleeping. Once you're done you may even want to throw in some Cat/Cow or a Downward Dog. Just do what feels good & right for your body!
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