How to mobilise your hip joints in a standing exercise

Let’s explore full range in the hip joints with an embodiment from The Franklin Method

The one thing I really like about The Franklin Method is the focus on moving the body in the way it is designed to move and finding dynamic movements. And this involves exploring the range in the joints.

And this is what we will do today: Swing the pelvis in large figure 8-motions and explore the range of the hip joints. I will add some shoulder movement, too.

This is certainly something we never do in a pilates environment where everything is much more about stabilisation and being in neutral. Don’t get me wrong, I think this approach definitely has its place.

However, your body is very seldom stable and in neutral. Therefore, I think it is important to bring these kind of movements into a pilates environment.

Let’s explore my go-to exercise when I need to step away from the computer and allow my body to move freely. Maybe put on some music while you do it.

This movement is part of a movement sequence called the “Pelvis Dance”, so think about dancing when finding your salsa hips.

 

What is the exercise about?

• Mobilising the hip joints.
• Allow the pelvis to move more freely in its different ranges.

 

What do I like about it?

• The free and flowing movement.
• It becomes a full body exercise – the figure 8-movement of the pelvis ripples downwards to your legs and feet and up through your thoraco-lumbar fascia and towards the shoulder girdle
• By allowing all this movement to happen we activate our myofascial system dynamically so it can bring some release in the thoraco-lumbar fascia.
• You can easily add the shoulders – or you can just move the pelvis.
• The exercise can easily be integrated into a pilates environment to add some more full body movement.

 

What prop do you need?

None.

 

Which course/workshop is the exercise from?

• The Franklin Method – pelvis, spine and shoulders

In this workshop I combine 3 short Franklin Method workshops

• “Pelvic power”
• “Imagery for a healthy, strong & youthful spine”
• “Release your neck & liberate your shoulders”

to a full-day workshop. We go through the bone rhythms of the 3 body areas and explore them by using a variety of dynamic imagery.

You already had a taster of “Release your neck & liberate your shoulders”. You will get another short taster of an embodiment from the spine in a couple of days which is even “wilder” than the one today ;o).

If you are curious about The Franklin Method, take a look at their website or mine.

 

You might also be interested to know that The Franklin Method Teacher Training Level 1 will run in October 2021 in Denmark. You can read more about the first module here.

And here is the video …

Video length: 2:51 minutes