Help soothe your hips with Rock-a-Bye Baby
The Family Practice Health Centre at Women’s College Hospital provides comprehensive care for women and men of all age groups, from newborns to the elderly. I visited to demonstrate a fun and functional hip opener called Rock-a-Bye Baby. This exercise uses gravity to coax movement into the pelvic region.
Rock-a-Bye Baby 1. Lie face-up on a large, sturdy table with knees bent and feet parked hip distance apart. Scoot yourself down toward your feet until your toes peek over the bottom edge of the table. 2. Lift your right foot and reach for the inner heel with the right hand. Holding the foot steady, open up the angle of the knee joint to 90 degrees and allow it to swing away from the body. Bring the shin to a vertical position, perpendicular to the floor. 3. Slide your left foot off the edge of the table and allow the leg to dangle with the knee bent softly and foot hanging heavy. You may already feel a stretch deep in the front of the left hip — that’s good. 4. Now pull the right heel straight down with the right hand, as if you’d like to bring the kneecap to the table. Notice the way the left knee lifts up as the right knee dips. Create a plush rocking action in the hips by returning the heel to its starting position before pulling down again and again. 5. Repeat on the other side.
Rock-a-Bye Baby is a great way to prep your hips for the dreaded stirrups that have become synonymous with gynecological exams. YuMee Chung is a recovering lawyer who teaches yoga in Toronto. She is on the faculty of a number of yoga teacher training programs and leads international yoga retreats. Learn more about her at padmani.com.