Hamstring Strength Options

by | May 7, 2026 | Main Page Display

Hamstring Strength Options

hip extensors

HAMSTRING STRENGTH OPTIONS

When we think about hamstrings in yoga, most of us immediately think about stretching. Matt reminds us that this powerful muscle group is rarely celebrated for what it is also designed to do: create strength and propulsion through hip extension. The hamstrings help take the legs behind the body, support backbends, and stabilize standing balances, yet many of us unconsciously bypass them by leaning into flexibility instead. In today’s exploration of hamstring strength options, Matt guides us through three postures that challenge us to become more deliberate with activation and coordination. Rather than chasing bigger shapes, these drills help us recognize how the hamstrings cooperate with the pelvis, glutes, and spine to create sustainable support. Sometimes the most revealing part of the practice is not how far we move, but how intentionally we engage along the way.

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SUPPORTED WARRIOR 3 BLOCK DRILL

The first of these hamstring strength options begins in a supported Warrior 3 variation. Matt places a block, tennis ball, or rolled socks behind the standing leg so the hamstrings remain active throughout the posture. Without that feedback, many of us instinctively open the lifted hip and rely more heavily on the outer glutes to raise the leg. Instead, Matt cues us to keep the pelvis relatively square and the lifted thigh bone facing downward. Small pulsing lifts of the back leg suddenly become surprisingly intense when the hamstrings stay engaged. The standing leg continues squeezing the prop, reinforcing the entire posterior chain. Even hovering the leg briefly asks for more awareness than momentum. This drill teaches us that subtle adjustments in alignment can completely change which muscles organize and support the posture.

WATCH THE VIDEO

HAMSTRING STRENGTH OPTIONS: 3 SURPRISING DRILLS FOR BETTER SUPPORT & STABILITY

ELEVATED DANCER POSE 

In Dancer Pose, hamstring strength options become even more apparent when Matt removes the dependency on grabbing the foot directly. Instead, the heel presses into a block or resistance point, creating an active relationship between the leg and upper body. As the chest leans forward, the hamstrings begin working harder to maintain the lift behind us without collapsing into the lower back or aggressively opening the pelvis. Matt emphasizes keeping the pelvis more controlled rather than allowing the leg to externally rotate freely. This changes the experience dramatically. The posture becomes less about achieving an extreme shape and more about creating intelligent support through the back body. By actively pressing the heel back while lengthening through the chest, we begin to understand how much strength is actually required to sustain balance with integrity.

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BOW POSE AWARENESS

Bow Pose offers another layer of hamstring strength options by revealing how easily support can disappear when we rely solely on flexibility. Using a bolster, Matt demonstrates how to organize the posture from active engagement rather than passive hanging. As the shoulders roll back and the heart broadens forward, the heels press firmly into the hands. This action activates the hamstrings and helps the chest rise through muscular support instead of simply collapsing onto the prop. Matt encourages us to imagine the bolster is barely there, asking the body to participate fully in the lift. The pelvis grounds while the legs continue reaching back, creating a dynamic conversation between the spine, glutes, and hamstrings. The result is a Bow Pose that feels more integrated, stable, and sustainable rather than compressed or overly dependent on range of motion.

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BUILDING STRENGTH WITH INTENTION

What makes these hamstring strength options so valuable is that they teach us how to create participation instead of passively entering shapes. Matt reminds us that strength in yoga is not separate from mobility. The two constantly inform one another. When we intentionally recruit the hamstrings, standing balances become steadier, backbends feel more supported, and the pelvis organizes with greater clarity. These drills also encourage us to notice where we habitually avoid effort by leaning into flexibility strategies. The goal is not to grip or overwork, but to cultivate intelligent muscular contribution throughout the practice. Over time, this kind of awareness changes how we move entirely. Sometimes the body becomes more resilient not because we stretched further, but because we finally learned how to actively support ourselves within the posture.

Matt’s upcoming 50Hr. Chromatic Certification is an opportunity to go deeper in your own practice and to elevate the practice for your students.  Register today to reserve your spot.

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Article by Trish Curling

Video Extracted From: Yoga For Strength Immersion

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Build Better Joint Support

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Build Better Joint Supportankle & kneeBUILD BETTER JOINT SUPPORT Sometimes we focus so heavily on flexibility that we forget our joints also need intelligent strength surrounding them. Matt reminds us that stability is not rigidity. It is the body’s ability to...

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read more
Weightless Inversions

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read more
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5 Visual Demonstration Techniques for Yoga Teachers

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Hanumanasana Hints

by | Jul 18, 2024 | Main Page Display

Hanumanasana Hints

splits

HANUMANASANA HINTS

Applying intelligent techniques to a posture like Hanumanasana is crucial—simply hoping for the best is definitely not the way to go! That mindset leaves us vulnerable to injury. Hanumanasana is also the type of pose that can be quite intimidating if we don’t have a lot of experience with it. Go slowly and use the techniques Matt demonstrates in today’s video, which offer a safe path to explore the variations and methods that feel right in our own bodies. The Hanumanasana “hints” provided help us understand what’s required physically. Through the techniques, we gain a grasp of what muscles are being engaged, when to engage them, and when to lean into expansion. Extension and expansion are the nature of the posture, but it is also rooted in stability and strength.

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THE 4 VITAL ACTIONS FOR THE HIPS

There are 4 main actions that help us prepare for Hanumanasana. They help activate the muscles that surround the hips. Strengthening is in fact what will ultimately inform our capacity for increased hip mobility. The actions will also influence what we experience in regard to flexibility in areas like the adductors, abductors, quadriceps, and hamstrings.

Here are the 4 main main actions Matt outlines:

  1. Squeezing in
  2. Expanding out
  3. Rotating in 
  4. Rotating out 

In the video clip, we see how these actions are applied to the variations and drills.

WATCH THE VIDEO

HANUMANASANA PREPARATION: FOOLPROOF PREPARATION FOR THE HIPS

LIZARD ROTATIONS

The Lizard Pose variation offered today is rich in technique. Matt demonstrates a quadricep activation in the back leg while rotating inward and outward with the front leg. This provides an opportunity to exercise control within these movements. There’s also an element of squeezing in in order to remain balanced, especially if we plantarflex (point) the back foot.

After this strengthening, we move towards stretching and a degree of expansion. This is an example of what was discussed in our recent blog post, Postpone the Stretch Sensation. After training the body to understand that it is safe, through strengthening, we can then be more free to lengthen.  

After the Lizard rotations in preparation for Hanumanasana, Matt then opens up the posture by bowing his torso further away from his front leg and then taking hold of his back foot to stretch the quadriceps in the back leg.

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BOLSTER SUPPORT

Now we actually get into the shape of Hanumanasana with the use of props. As always, there are options. Matt demonstrates with a bolster and two blocks; he also mentions that using sturdy chairs in the place of yoga blocks is totally acceptable. This is where the discernment to use what works best for ourselves as individuals is key.

Again, we start with control and contraction. Matt begins by pulling inward—pressing both the heel of the front foot and the back knee or back foot down while pulling them towards one another. He then layers on first an inward rotation of the front thigh to activate the adductor muscles, then he rotates the front thigh outwards to target the back inner thighs, front outer hamstrings, and gluteus muscles. Following these strengthening actions, stretching and lengthening are the next steps.

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THERE’S NO RUSH

Here comes the expansion. In this Hanumanasana drill, we put on socks to slide our feet on a slippery floor. 

Although we are experimenting with more depth, it’s imperative that we go slow with the amount of expansion. We know that we remain in control of the freedom in this drill when we can still engage and draw the legs back in towards one another as we alternate on each side. If we are unable to do this, Matt advises that we shorten the distance between the legs. There’s absolutely no rush. This is our opportunity to tap into the more controlled techniques previously explored. This is the foolproof preparation for Hanumanasana.

The waitlist for Matt’s upcoming online course The Pose Factory is open. You won’t want to miss more details about the techniques that unlock postures like Hanumanasana.

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Article by Trish Curling

Video Extracted From: The Splits Immersion 

lotus pose online yoga classes

ONLINE ANATOMY COURSE

  • Accessible, exciting, and easy to learn
  • Anatomy and biomechanics for yoga
  • Appropriate for both teachers and students
  • Learn joint alignment vs pose alignment
  • Demystify yoga poses and transitions
  • Release aches and pains
  • Learn how to avoid common injuries
  • Caters to all levels with modifications and props
  • 20 hours Continued Education Credits with Yoga Alliance
  • 20 hours toward Chromatic Yoga Certification and 300 Hour
  • Lifetime access
TELL ME MORE!

Continue Learning

Build Better Joint Support

Build Better Joint Support

Build Better Joint Supportankle & kneeBUILD BETTER JOINT SUPPORT Sometimes we focus so heavily on flexibility that we forget our joints also need intelligent strength surrounding them. Matt reminds us that stability is not rigidity. It is the body’s ability to...

read more
Hamstring Strength Options

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Hamstring Strength Optionship extensorsHAMSTRING STRENGTH OPTIONS When we think about hamstrings in yoga, most of us immediately think about stretching. Matt reminds us that this powerful muscle group is rarely celebrated for what it is also designed to do: create...

read more
Weightless Inversions

Weightless Inversions

Weightless InversionssirsasanaWEIGHTLESS INVERSIONS Weightless inversions are not about removing effort. They are about redistributing it with awareness. Matt reminds us that when we refine how we place weight through the hands, shoulders, and core, the body begins to...

read more
Opening The Heart Chakra

Opening The Heart Chakra

Opening The Heart ChakrabackbendOPENING THE HEART CHAKRA Opening the heart chakra is not simply about reaching deeper into a backbend. Matt reminds us that this space is rooted in love, balance, and connection, both with ourselves and with others. It reflects how we...

read more
5 Visual Demonstration Techniques for Yoga Teachers

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5 Visual Demonstration Techniques for Yoga TeachersYoga TeachersVisual Demonstration This is often confused with “teaching from the mat.” Teaching at the front of the room can be useful at the right time and place, but that is not what we are referring to here. In...

read more
Awakening Solar Plexus Strength

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read more
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Postpone The Stretch Sensation

by | Jul 4, 2024 | Main Page Display

Postpone the Stretch Sensation

flexibility

POSTPONE THE STRETCH SENSATION

If one of the goals of our physical yoga practice is to increase flexibility, we may automatically believe that we just need to stretch more. It’s critical that we understand that increasing flexibility is much more layered than simply stretching. Yes, we know the stretch sensation has the potential to feel really good; in fact, it can feel GREAT when done appropriately for our bodies and at the right time.

What if we were to entertain the idea of postponing the stretch sensation in order to increase flexibility? This might sound like we’d be moving away from our goal, but we’d actually be moving more expeditiously along the path. In today’s video, Matt demonstrates strengthening techniques that target hamstring flexibility. Instead of simply stretching, we can apply techniques that not only cultivate length in the muscles but also foster the overall health of the muscles.

chromatic yoga 15 hour immersion

THE POSE FACTORY

WAITLIST NOW OPEN

  • Dogmatic alignment versus functional alignment
  • Learn popular postural pitfalls
  • Myths versus truth
  • Formulaic approach for comprehensive learning
  • Excellent guide for yoga enthusiasts
  • Must-have for yoga teachers
  • Joint-health awareness
  • Muscle integrity, range of motion
  • Props for accessibity
  • Alignment alterations in the case of injuries
✋ SIGN UP HERE

HAMSTRING STRETCH PREPARATION

As we prepare our hamstrings to stretch and create more length, we must understand the difference between tension and strength. If we go straight into stretching, attempting to go beyond our current threshold with the intention of progressing, it’s possible that our bodies will tense up and go into “protection mode.” Tension is activated to halt potential injury.

Preparing the hamstrings prior to a good stretch involves strengthening. At the beginning of today’s video, Matt demonstrates two postures that get us started:

Crescent Pose Preparation

Preparing the hamstrings also means activating the gluteus muscles. What we see are techniques initiated by the feet and pelvis that promote these activations.

Forward Fold

Pressing the heels outward here helps activate the tensor fasciae latae (TFL) muscles, which tips the pelvis and lengthens the hamstrings.

WATCH THE VIDEO

POSTPONE THE STRETCH SENSATION: HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY TECHNIQUES

STRETCH TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

To progress, we need to find multiple ways during a given yoga practice to implement the acquired techniques within the area of focus. When we do this, we train our brain and body to respond with greater precision. Two more ways to explore the hamstrings before executing a stretch include:

Twisted Monkey

Matt demonstrates a drill in which we go back and forth between activating the hamstrings and activating the quadriceps.

It’s important to be present and intentional about activating the muscles; just going through the motions means we are not implementing the techniques with accuracy.

Warrior III Preparation

Here, Matt emphasizes activating the hamstrings and the glutes by lifting the back leg higher than we might expect. We get a little closer to understanding two concepts: facilitated stretch and reciprocal inhibition.

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STRETCH YOUR PERSPECTIVE

Matt teaches us how to apply actions that will promote transformation, rather than just executing postures in the “traditional” way. This may be different from what we’re used to in our asana practice, but when we stretch and challenge our perspective on how to practice, we begin to cultivate change.

In the video, after getting into a Cobra pose variation, Matt teaches us how to activate the hamstrings by first flexing the feet, which helps minimize potential cramping in the calf muscles, then pulling the heels towards the back. He then provides the option to undo it by lengthening the legs out. Going back and forth can assist us in deepening the activation sensation.

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  • Masterful sequencing and verbal delivery
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FROM TENSION TO RELEASE

Last, we see the demonstration of both strength and stretch in action when Matt transitions from Dandasana to Paschimottanasana.

In Dandasana, we learn to activate the hip flexors while stretching the hamstrings. This is an example of reciprocal inhibition: activating the opposing muscles of those we’re stretching.

Matt continues to lean more forward in the posture but cues pressing the heels down into the floor and pulling them back. Here, we’re both lengthening and activating the hamstrings. This is a demonstration of a facilitated stretch.

We have postponed the stretch sensation long enough now to more safely enter into Paschimottanasana, where the stretch can be more passive. After strengthening the muscles, our brain and body feel safe enough to release into the stretch.

This process of learning and exploration is available in Matt’s upcoming online course, The Pose Factory. Access the waiting list here!

The 200 Hr. Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date

The 300 Hr. Advanced Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date

Article by Trish Curling

Video Extracted From: Twists & Folds Immersion 

lotus pose online yoga classes

ONLINE ANATOMY COURSE

  • Accessible, exciting, and easy to learn
  • Anatomy and biomechanics for yoga
  • Appropriate for both teachers and students
  • Learn joint alignment vs pose alignment
  • Demystify yoga poses and transitions
  • Release aches and pains
  • Learn how to avoid common injuries
  • Caters to all levels with modifications and props
  • 20 hours Continued Education Credits with Yoga Alliance
  • 20 hours toward Chromatic Yoga Certification and 300 Hour
  • Lifetime access
TELL ME MORE!

Continue Learning

Build Better Joint Support

Build Better Joint Support

Build Better Joint Supportankle & kneeBUILD BETTER JOINT SUPPORT Sometimes we focus so heavily on flexibility that we forget our joints also need intelligent strength surrounding them. Matt reminds us that stability is not rigidity. It is the body’s ability to...

read more
Hamstring Strength Options

Hamstring Strength Options

Hamstring Strength Optionship extensorsHAMSTRING STRENGTH OPTIONS When we think about hamstrings in yoga, most of us immediately think about stretching. Matt reminds us that this powerful muscle group is rarely celebrated for what it is also designed to do: create...

read more
Weightless Inversions

Weightless Inversions

Weightless InversionssirsasanaWEIGHTLESS INVERSIONS Weightless inversions are not about removing effort. They are about redistributing it with awareness. Matt reminds us that when we refine how we place weight through the hands, shoulders, and core, the body begins to...

read more
Opening The Heart Chakra

Opening The Heart Chakra

Opening The Heart ChakrabackbendOPENING THE HEART CHAKRA Opening the heart chakra is not simply about reaching deeper into a backbend. Matt reminds us that this space is rooted in love, balance, and connection, both with ourselves and with others. It reflects how we...

read more
5 Visual Demonstration Techniques for Yoga Teachers

5 Visual Demonstration Techniques for Yoga Teachers

5 Visual Demonstration Techniques for Yoga TeachersYoga TeachersVisual Demonstration This is often confused with “teaching from the mat.” Teaching at the front of the room can be useful at the right time and place, but that is not what we are referring to here. In...

read more
Awakening Solar Plexus Strength

Awakening Solar Plexus Strength

Awakening Solar Plexus Strengththird chakraAWAKENING SOLAR PLEXUS STRENGTH Awakening solar plexus strength invites us into the centre of transformation. Matt reminds us that this third chakra, Manipura, is our fire, our willpower, and our ability to take action. It...

read more
All Videos

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Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B

by | Aug 9, 2023 | Main Page Display

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B

Increase Your Range of Motion

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UTTHITA HASTA PADANGUSTHASANA B

In my previous blog, we looked at how Matt prepares you for Standing Nose to Shin (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana A). Although there are multiple similarities in regard to preparation between that posture and today’s (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B), there are obviously other points of consideration due to both the change in positioning of the top leg and the differences in the shape of the torso. What you can rely on is how Matt develops a clear narrative for you to follow. The buildup to a posture is like reading a book with first-rate plot development. The variations offered in today’s video include all of the vital elements (rising action/muscular preparation, climax/execution of the posture, falling action/the lessons learned and deeper understanding of your body, and resolution/reflection and awareness of how to approach the posture with physical and mental intelligence.

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THE SPLITS

  • Improve flexibility of hamstrings, adductors, hip flexors, and glutes
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START WITH STRENGTH

To approach Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B with intelligence, you have to start with strength. Accepting this methodology means that increased range of motion is within your grasp. If you’ve practiced with Matt before, then you understand that the development of improved range of motion includes both strength and flexibility. Part of the rising action in today’s narrative is the cultivating of outer hip strength for both stability in the standing leg and active mobility in the top leg. To this end, Matt demonstrates a drill where you’re in a Tabletop position while repeatedly lifting/abducting one leg. In this drill, paying attention to the articulation of your pelvis (anterior tilt) and the positioning of the knee of the lifted leg (going directly out to the side and not trailing behind) is the difference between actually targeting the outer hip muscles effectively and just mindlessly going through the motions.

WATCH THE VIDEO

UTTHITA HASTA PADANGUSTHASANA B: INCREASE YOUR RANGE OF MOTION

STANDING KNEE BEND

Once strength has been addressed as part of the foundation for this posture, moving towards the exploration of increased range of motion in your hips becomes possible. Here, Matt offers variations of Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B that begin to lead you towards the climax (the potential of the pose that exists within your body).

Matt reveals that in a standing position, beyond the requirement of hip flexion and hamstring flexibility in the standing leg, you can actually increase your range of motion first by squeezing in the hip of the standing leg while creating a lateral tilt in your pelvis. This lateral tilt automatically sends the top leg higher. Immediately, you reduce the amount of constriction of hip flexion from the top leg. Maintaining a bent knee in the top leg also allows you to explore the pose with less demand on the hamstrings and adductors.

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HALF MOON POSE LEG LIFTS

In the previous step, you also begin to foster a development of lateral flexion of the spine along with strength in the obliques and quadratus lumborum (QL) to support the lateral tilt of the pelvis when you’re upright in Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B. In today’s video, Matt nurtures this with his “Half Moon Pose leg lifts” drill. Although this drill continues to develop strength in the outer hips, it also generates strength in the obliques and QL because you are lifting (abducting) the top leg beyond a neutral position. Additionally, just because the standing leg is static doesn’t mean that it’s inactive. You can still intentionally create abduction of the bottom leg. Together, these actions translate directly into a sense of stability in the torso, which comes from strong oblique and QL muscles.

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300 HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING

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Master your skill set as a teacher through refined techniques, anatomy, biomechanics, sequencing, philosophy, meditation techniques, theming, yoga business, and much more!

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  • Expand your teaching skills
  • Masterful sequencing and verbal delivery
  • Learn meditation and breathwork techniques
  • Transformative tools: theming, dharma talks, satsang
LEARN MORE!

VARIATIONS AT THE WALL

Matt keeps you at the edge of your seat as he unfolds what’s possible. First, he offers a drill that assists in mastering the lateral tilt of the pelvis. He also demonstrates more than one access point into Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana B. Matt explains that if you have any hamstring and/or adductor concerns in regard to flexibility, it might be safer to straighten your top leg to its potential before tilting the pelvis. On the other hand, you can opt to tilt your pelvis first and then straighten. Further, you can create a Compass-like variation where you’re gearing towards increased lateral flexion in the spine in order to grab the outer top foot. 

Exploring all of these variations guides you towards not only resolutions that are long-lasting within your physical body but also greater discernment within your mind when it comes to approaching your practice more holistically.

You can gain deeper insight into Matt’s Chromatic methodology within the “chapters” of his 200 & 300 Hour Teacher Training courses.

The 200 Hr. Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date

The 300 Hr. Advanced Teacher Training: Click Here to See the Next Start Date

Article by Trish Curling

Video Extracted From: Splits Immersion

lotus pose online yoga classes

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Build Better Joint Support

Build Better Joint Support

Build Better Joint Supportankle & kneeBUILD BETTER JOINT SUPPORT Sometimes we focus so heavily on flexibility that we forget our joints also need intelligent strength surrounding them. Matt reminds us that stability is not rigidity. It is the body’s ability to...

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Hamstring Strength Options

Hamstring Strength Options

Hamstring Strength Optionship extensorsHAMSTRING STRENGTH OPTIONS When we think about hamstrings in yoga, most of us immediately think about stretching. Matt reminds us that this powerful muscle group is rarely celebrated for what it is also designed to do: create...

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Weightless Inversions

Weightless Inversions

Weightless InversionssirsasanaWEIGHTLESS INVERSIONS Weightless inversions are not about removing effort. They are about redistributing it with awareness. Matt reminds us that when we refine how we place weight through the hands, shoulders, and core, the body begins to...

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Opening The Heart Chakra

Opening The Heart Chakra

Opening The Heart ChakrabackbendOPENING THE HEART CHAKRA Opening the heart chakra is not simply about reaching deeper into a backbend. Matt reminds us that this space is rooted in love, balance, and connection, both with ourselves and with others. It reflects how we...

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5 Visual Demonstration Techniques for Yoga Teachers

5 Visual Demonstration Techniques for Yoga Teachers

5 Visual Demonstration Techniques for Yoga TeachersYoga TeachersVisual Demonstration This is often confused with “teaching from the mat.” Teaching at the front of the room can be useful at the right time and place, but that is not what we are referring to here. In...

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Awakening Solar Plexus Strength

Awakening Solar Plexus Strength

Awakening Solar Plexus Strengththird chakraAWAKENING SOLAR PLEXUS STRENGTH Awakening solar plexus strength invites us into the centre of transformation. Matt reminds us that this third chakra, Manipura, is our fire, our willpower, and our ability to take action. It...

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