Deep Hip Opening Flow
Beginner II
This wonderfully thorough hatha yoga flow digs deep into the tension in the hips, legs and back, moving you through a gradual build-up to more challenging poses as the class progresses. Melissa maintains a calm energy, gentle pacing and difficulty level that is accessible to most students, although this would be considered as a more challenging beginner class.
Equipment:
Block Videos
Style:
Comments
Existing Comments
Lovely! I really liked the structure and the pace of this class. Thanks Melissa. Yeah and I did the half moon pose without cheating!
I absolutely loved this one... Thank you!
One of my fav Melissa classes! I do this one often!
If I did this every other day, my whole body would feel better. New Years resolution!
Thanks again Melissa.
MR
oooooh that was nice!
Nice class, but will be really helpful if you could say left and right foot rather than one foot and other foot. Sometimes I end up doing the same side twice :)
I am with you:)
I hear you! I do that now in my videos. This one is from a few years back before I changed that!
I've been practicing at home since March and I have been looking for classes that replicate the basic flow classes I used to do at my studio, with triangle, warriors, etc. This is a good one for me!
Thanks Melissa. I love this nice long juicy practice with all the variety. Your pace gives me time to change things up a bit if I want more of a challenge with certain poses.
Sure wish we were in Mexico. It's -24 here today.
I revisit this lesson as part of a 7 day challenge. As always, love this lesson and your classes. Thank you.
Thanks!Just the right amount of challenge and rest for me. Extended your Shivasana time and got in my mediation for the day. Double bonus!!
Great structure of this class. I will surely repeat this many more times. Not just only a hip but also an eye opener. What a gentle way to bring me in finally in a pigeon pose as it should be. Thanks.
Love this practice Melissa.
Thank you for providing adaptations for those of us who aren't flexible! Would you please suggest one more? From low lunge, I can't straighten my front leg while keeping my hands on the floor near the front foot. Three alternatives come to mind:
1) Walk hands along the mat to the hips as I straighten the front leg (torso upright)
2) Leave the front leg bent (just slightly straighter than lunge) with hands on the floor near the front foot
3) As I straighten the front leg, position two blocks on end (for my hands) behind the front knee
Your advice?
Hi! Those are all great alternatives! I would always say keep the knee/knees bent whenever you need to in any yoga posture (low lunge, forward folds, downward dog) to let the hamstrings release a bit more so you have more space. And blocks are so great! Use them however it's helpful. A combo of 2 and 3 would work really well. 1 might be a tricky if you hands are on the hips as opposed to the mat (or blocks) as its tough to balance and takes away from the stretch. Does that make sense? Let me know if you have more questions!
Thanks Melissa! I've most often used option 1, in which I walk my hands back along the mat as far as I need to straighten the front leg. In this position, I'm sitting on the back heel with front leg straight and hands on the mat. It certainly provides a strong stretch, but it may not be stretching what's intended.
That works really well too! That is the stretch we are going for. You've got it!
Thank you Melissa, I really enjoyed the pace and the sequence. I felt calm as I was able to really focus on my breath and notice what my body is doing. You do just the right amount of talking. Great class.
What an amazing class, Thank you!!!
Really enjoyed this class.
Nice class Melissa. One of my favs on DYWM.
I am never disappointed with a class led by Melissa. This was a nice challenge for this beginner, but I was able to achieve it! I really appreciate your cueing, especially for more challenging poses that some bodies need to modify.
Nicely done. Very nice queuing and just the right amount of talking :D Nice hip opening sequence.
Thank You Melissa for this amazing class and sequencing! I loved it and was really able to follow along and enjoy the class due to the pace and your great guidance! It is now a “Favorite “ for sure! Namaste
Great practice for calming, stretching, relieving tension and back pain. Nice slow pace, beautiful cueing with attention to breath. Thank you!
as always Melissa I love your lessons. You have such a gentle quality that makes your classes special. Great class.
If you are not a beginner, chances are this won't feel challenging at all. What it *will* feel, however, is all sorts of fantastic. It's friendly, it's adaptable, it will take you a galaxy away from self-judgment, it has a pace that enables you to work with your inner sensations. Perfect for those days when you really need to slow down and steal time for yourself. Thanks !
Absolutely divine! The pace, the instructions, and all that extra space and suppleness that I am feeling now in my hips. Many thanks Melissa!
Dear Melissa,
Like the previous comment I echo the “love your classes” to the power of 10!
Thanks to your gentle, kind and authentic pace yours is exactly what I need(ed) in learning about this relatively “new world of yoga”. Incidentally, your “fear-free” approach (“this will come with time”) to teaching has even inspired me in my own work as a college lecturer in foreign languages.
And one more thing, I now feel comfortable and ready to “click” intermediate!
Thanks for being here!
Awesome
Melissa, I love, love, love your classes and this one is no exception. Simply wonderful thank you X
Ps: I'm 10 weeks pregnant and wondering if you teach any pregnancy classes online?
Hi Kim!
Thanks so much :)
No, I don't teach any prenatal yoga at all. If you want to keep working with my classes I would suggest the avoiding deep twisting poses and if any poses start to feel "wrong" skip them. And definitely check out some of the great prenatal classes on this site. You may also check out my class Yoga For Inner Strength which will teach about your pelvic floor and how to engage it. Although I don't do any prenatal I know a lot about pelvic floor and you definitely want to learn more about that now.
All the best! xo
Amazing. What a wonderful class
My hips feel so good.
:)
I've been having a lot of hip and low-back tightness and pain and this class gave me a LOT more movement back. I'll definitely be doing this one again. Thank you!
My pleasure!
Really appreciated the allowance of silence during instruction. Gives me an opportunity to focus all my attention inward without having to listen to the teacher. Love the out of doors and the sound of birds, train, boats etc.
The more I teach the less I try to fill the space with chatter. Glad you enjoyed it! Silence is golden.
What a great way to start the day! This is one of my favorite Melissa's classes.
Thanks! It felt really good to film. Happy you're enjoying it.
Wonderfully slow buildup to pigeon pose which I usually struggle with. Thank you. I will definitely repeat this class Melissa!
Hurray!
One of my fav's!! This is the perfect practice on days when I want to slow things down and get a great stretch!
Awesome! Happy you dig it :)
Best one so far! My body feels so awakened!
This is just the type of practice I love. I could actually feel my hips loosening as the practice continued, so that, by the time I got to pigeon pose, I could hold the pose without any tension or pain. This is always a challenge for me as I have arthritis in my knees and hips, and to find a practice like this is awesome. Thank you!!!
My legs and hips were so sore from recently beginning cardio workouts after not excersizing for a long time, this class helped to relieve that tension and was deep and thorough without being overwhelming, thank you!
Melissa, I enjoy slow, gentle practice and this one was perfect for me. I used two blocks, which allowed me to adjust some of the more difficult poses to my own body. I appreciate how DoYogaWithMe films some of your practices outdoors. The summertime Canadian countryside allows me to float from my living room to a warm, calm place where birds call from the trees. Really lovely.
You are a wonderful yoga role model. Thanks again.