Hip Flexor Lengthening, Low Back Release, and the 5 Daily Remembrances!

Undoing the Crunch: Hip Flexor and Low Back Lengthening in Yoga 

Written by LJ

In a world where so much of life happens in a seated position—working, driving, and well… scrolling—it’s no surprise that tight hip flexors and compressed low backs commonly show up on our list of “oof’s”. This quarter at Funky Buddha Yoga, we’ve been  sharing about the many ways we can reverse Lower Cross Syndrome! Last month we worked on building up those buns to support our low back and hip-flexors with strengthening.

This month, we’re shifting our focus to lengthening and releasing these chronically shortened areas to help restore posture, ease tension, and support long-term mobility. Let’s chat about how to cross those face-scrunching aches from our list, for more optimal movement on and off the mat! 

 

The Hip Flexor–Low Back Connection

The hip flexors, particularly the psoas muscle, play a major role in posture and movement. When they become short and tight—often from prolonged sitting—they pull the pelvis forward, compress the lower back, and contribute to the postural imbalance of LCS. This often results in discomfort, limited mobility, and strain during movement.  

By incorporating mindful stretching, self-myofascial release, and strength into our yoga practices, we may begin to open up the front of the body while also decompressing the lumbar spine. Hello, to some Funkin’ relief!  

 

Three Yoga Poses to Release and Lengthen (UnFunk that Crunch!)

Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana): This classic hip opener specifically targets the hip flexors while promoting a long spine.

1. From Downward Dog, step your right foot forward and lower your back knee. 
2. Inhale, sweep your arms overhead, and lift your chest. 
3. Exhale, allow your hips to sink forward with control. 

     FUNKY TIP: Squeeze your glutes and draw your hip points upward to support your pelvis and avoid collapsing into your lower back.  

Reclined Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose (Supta Padangusthasana): This pose stretches the hamstrings and low back while gently lengthening the hip flexors on the opposite leg. 

1. Lie on your back and extend your right leg toward the ceiling; a bent left knee can offer more accessibility, or an engaged & straightened left leg with raised heel can offer more activity! 
2. Use a strap around the foot or grab those toe beans with peace-sign fingers, and keep your left leg extended and rooted to your mat. 

     FUNKY TIP: Try to keep your low back rooted! Focus on grounding your opposite hip and finding length through your spine; the goal is not how far your leg can go, but how grounded your back can stay. 

Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana): This gentle backbend targets the lower back and invites subtle engagement in the glutes and core. 

1. Lie on your belly, bring forearms beneath chest like train tracks, and prop yourself up. 
2. Press into the tops of your feet and gently lift your chest. 

     FUNKY TIP: Keep glutes lightly engaged and squeeze kneecaps to avoid dumping into the low back. 

Self-Myofascial Release for the Hip Flexors and Low Back 

Adding self-myofascial release (SMFR) to your practice can help release adhesions, increase blood flow, and restore range of motion. Here are two simple postures to try– 

Quad & Hip Flexor Roll 

1. Lie face down and place a foam roller, yoga block, or tightly wound towel under one thigh, just below the hip bone. 
2. Hold in a position that gives moderate feedback for 60-90 seconds 
3. Then, gently roll up and down the front of your thigh, perhaps finding another spot to hold. 
4. To deepen the release, try bending and straightening at your knee (slowly!) 

     FUNKY TIP: Deep breaths are everything here! If the feedback is too much, consider easing out to focus more on a spot that can handle sustained pressure! 

Low Back & Sacrum Release (with a Block) 

1. Take bridge pose, however is most comfortable in your body. 
2. Place a meditation cushion, pillow, or block under your sacrum (the flat part at the base of your spine). 
3. Let your weight sink into the support and stay for 1–2 minutes. 
4. For more intensity, gently rock side to side. 

 

Some Funkin’ Release Tips! 

1. Balance Stretch with Strength: It’s not alllll about stretching—strengthening the glutes and core helps create lasting postural changes, check out last month’s blog for that! 
2. Breathe Into Space: Use your breath to explore sensation. We can think of breath like inhale = expansion/engagement and your exhale = contraction/stability. Exhale deeply to encourage muscular release. 
3. Move Mindfully: Take your time getting in and out of shapes, focusing on control over depth. 
4. Support Your Spine: Use props to support neutral pelvic alignment and reduce strain. 

 

Make Some Funkin’ Space, Feel Some Funkin’ Ease 

Lengthening the hip flexors and decompressing the low back isn’t just about mobility, our goal this month lies in restoring functional movement and balance. This month, we hope to equip you with the tools, tips, and techniques to lay the foundation for stronger, safer movement patterns on and off the mat. 

Join us in the Funky studios as we focus on unfolding, lengthening, and creating good space, in body and mind. Baby steps toward de-crunching! 

See you on the mat! 

  

The 5 Remembrances: Gentle Truth-Tellers to Guide Each Day

Written by LJ

This month we’re offering ourselves present awareness by weaving the 5 Remembrances into our meditation practice! The 5 daily remembrances come from Buddhist Philosophy, first found in the Upajjhatthana Sutta (“Subjects for Contemplation”). Intended to be the pillars of truth that keep us grounded, they remind us that our bodies, relationships, and experiences are ever changing. These reflections invite courage, compassion, and clarity as we go about navigating those changes with each forward step.  

It’s quite easy in our fast-paced society to get wrapped up in the swarms of what’s next– In a culture that often encourages distraction, denial, and striving for permanence, the Five Remembrances offer something radical: a path toward peace through acceptance. These conscious reminders can shift how we relate to stress, change, and even joy. 

When we remember that our time is finite, our actions matter more. Our breath becomes a gift. Our relationships take on new depth. And our practice becomes a place where truth is not feared, but honored. 

 

Sooo What are the 5 Remembrances?

As translated by Thich Nhat Hanh, one of our favorite meditation teachers: 

1. I am of the nature to grow old, I cannot escape old age.  
2. I am of the nature to grow sick, I cannot escape sickness. 
3. I am of the nature to die, I cannot escape death. 
4. All that is loved by me is of the nature to change, there is no way to escape being separated from them. 
5. I inherit the result of my actions of body, speech, and mind. My actions are my only true belongings and the ground on which I stand. 

 

I’ve heard that this can sound downright depressing! Consider, that is through the lens of permeance; of course we want all the good things to stay the same. The basis of our Buddhist studies is impermanence, recognizing that the only constant is change. 

Thich Nhat Hanh, and each of the suttas on this topic, teaches that meditating on the Five Remembrances helps us to connect to the reality of life directly, not as a source of suffering, but as a door to freedom. When we truly accept impermanence, we may begin to let go of the clinging anxieties. Rather than resisting the inevitable aging, illness, and change we’re each bound to face, we have the opportunity to embrace the present moment with the simple joy (caveat–the joy is simple, the practice of feeling it, isn’t always!)  of being here now.  

These remembrances are an invitation for us to live deeply and with great responsibility. The fifth, in particular, calls for direct action in our mindfulness; every choice, every breath, every kindness, leaves a ripple in our wake. It’s a beautifully necessary reminder that our lives are made of our actions – and when we practice intention, we plant the good seeds of peace, in ourselves and the world.  

 

How Can I Live In These Phrases? 

The world we live in moves quickly, often too quickly. We may find ourselves scrolling through curated moments, pushing past (or distracting from) discomfort, and are pressured to fill each pause with productivity. The Five Remembrances ask us to slow and know that beneath the busyness we are human beings, not human doings. We are aging, vulnerable, deeply connected, and full of potential for meaningful action. These rememebrances also help us remember (right there in the title!) to appreciate our health, our bodies, our loved ones, and every small moment of joy. 

We’ll work with each concept in our daily meditation, practicing both sitting with them and bringing action to them! 

 

In our daily lives, this may look like: 

🫶🏽 Pausing before reaction in difficult conversations (hello RAIN techniques!).

🫶🏽 Noticing, appreciating, and cherishing the people in our lives.

🫶🏽 Caring for our physical bodies, not in avoidance of aging but in honoring life.

🫶🏽 Release illusion that things will stay the same, enjoying the journey for allll it’s changing. 

 

These reflections aren’t about morbidity, they aren’t meant to instill fear or sorrow. These gentle truth-tellers can help us release what doesn’t matter and lean into what does. In a world full of noise, these can be clarity. In a world of grasping, these can be gracious security.  

We invite you to join us this month as we sit with these sacred reflections! As we remember together, we won’t seek to solve anything– we’ll just practice the art of staying: staying present, staying soft, and staying connected to truth. Together, we’ll reflect on what it means to be fully alive.  <3

 

If you’d like to dive deeper, we invite you to join us for our monthly meditation circle!

Check out our Youtube for an overview of these concepts or a meditation practice to try them on <3

As always, we hope that you join us M-F at 7:30am for Funky Buddha Yoga’s free, live, virtual meditation to learn more practices, nuances, and dive deeper into a plethora of tools that can bring your practice off your mat and into your daily life <3