Saturday Savvy: Stretching For Front Splits

IMAGE An example of a Pigeon pose in Yoga by someone in jeans, a hoodie, and sneakers. IMAGE

If you’re struggling with getting all the way down in those elusive front-splits, there are two areas of flexibility that you’ll want to pay special attention to: the hamstrings and the hip flexors. Spend some time working to increase your range of motion in each of these areas individually with the stretches in this article.

Introducing the Iliopsoas

psoas

The iliopsoas is the only muscle (well, technically group of muscles) that attaches to the spine, pelvis, and femur (or, thigh). The three muscles which make up the iliopsoas are deep, running very near the spine and beneath other major muscle groups. Therefore, awareness of the iliopsoas must come through visualization.