Here is an old photo of me practicing the 'Front splits' (Hanumanasana) posture, which is not really suitable for most people but which can be really fun to do while on the beach and elsewhere. *** To safely do the splits you need flexible hamstrings and flexibility at the front of the hips. ***** To improve hamstring flexibility it helps to do the following: *** activate the muscles at the front of the hips (hip flexors) by trying to lift the front thigh away from the floor, in order to reciprocally relax the muscles at the back of the hips (hip flexors); and *** activate the muscles at the front of the knees (knee extensors) by 'pulling up the kneecaps' in order to reciprocally relax the muscles at the back of the knees (knee flexors) including all the hamstring muscles. ***** The final posture (the splits) significantly mechanically lengthens the hamstring muscles but if they are not first relaxed using this method the posture can be dangerous. The final posture must never be forced or you can damage the lower back, the hamstrings or the sciatic nerve in the front leg of the posture, and/or the hip flexors and femoral nerve in the back leg of the posture. ***** To improve flexibility at the front of the hips it is important to lengthen the psoas muscle by virtue of it attachments and actions. This can be facilitated by conscious activation of the muscles at the back of the hips (hip extensors) by squeezing the buttocks muscles and/or by pushing the feet apart as if to 'stretch the mat'. This will reciprocally relax the muscles at the front of the hips and allow them to lengthen more easily. It is also helpful to do conscious abdominal breathing because the psoas muscle has attachments to the diaphragm. The resultant increase in the flexibility to the front of the hips will also minimise any risk of back pain due to spinal compression in general, but this will be especially so in the splits posture. ***** Thanks to Dhyan for this photo of me some years ago Watagos beach, Byron bay, one lovely sunrise some years ago. *** You can learn more about the therapeutic applications of posture movement and breathing in our new online course at www.Yogasynergy.com















