Move into Confidence › Healthy Hips

Sally Parkes

Did you know that to have a strong core, to have a strong and healthy lower back, we need to have healthy, mobile hips as well as a strong pelvic floor and good core muscles? Discover the interconnection of hips and core. This class is excellent for building hip core and lower back strength and mobility for healthy day to day function of the hips and pelvis. Movements will be practiced from standing, box position, side lying and lying supine. Build strength within the gluteal, abdominal, pelvic floor and lower back muscles.This movement class is slightly stronger and more challenging than previous classes, you may need to work with Sally's other hip classes first.

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Amy Holly

This Barre Fitness Class builds strength through the glutes. Using techniques taken from classical ballet and focusing on maintaining external hip rotation, this class will strengthen your whole body but especially the legs. You will need a chair or a sturdy bit of furniture to use as a ballet barre.

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Sally Parkes

This class is suitable for those who are recovering from hip injury or after hip replacement, after you have had the go-ahead from your healthcare provider (usually around 10 weeks after surgery). This sequence will work through a selection of gentle movements for the hips keeping it simple by using body weight to engage the muscles surrounding the joints of the hips and pelvis. Movements will be small and repetitive to get some flow in the joints. Movements will be seated on a chair, then up to standing, over to the wall and sitting/lying down (supine) followed by a gentle stretch. This class will be considerate of hip and lower back injury making it accessible to all.

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Sally Parkes

Gentle mobility and strengthening Functional movement for the hips, plus core to support the pelvis and hip joints made accessible. Use a chair to help support your practice for days when you could do with some support, or when you're recovering from illness or injury. With some poses adapted and suitable for recovery from hip replacement. You will need a chair, a yoga belt and a block.

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Sally Parkes

Pilates and Yoga for healthy, mobile and strong hip joints. If you're a regular yoga practitioner, or you sit for long periods, you may have weaker muscles in the areas surrounding the hips. This class uses Pilates and yoga moves to strengthen the hips by moving the body in different planes of motions and at different speeds. A great class for most of us who have weaker hip and glute muscles. You may use an exercise band, if you have one, but it's not necessary for the class, and some exercises are done next to the wall.

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Sally Parkes

This gentle yoga class is ideal for when your hips are feeling a bit tighter. A great way to warm up the body on a chilly morning, or ideal for after running, cycling or hiking, after long journeys in the car or if you've just been that little bit sedentary and need to keep your hips mobile. This gentle stretch class is a slow and gentle stretch for the whole hip, pelvic, thigh and lower back area, giving a feeling of space in the pelvis and elongation in the lower back area. The session will start with gentle mobility work to prepare the body for deeper progressive stretches. The aim of this class is to gain a good range of motion in the body so that when we apply the strength work, strengthening the body whilst in a healthy postural position.

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Vanessa Michielon

This dynamic Vinyasa yoga flow class is sequenced to create space in our hips and strengthen our lower body with powerful warrior poses and nourishing dynamic stretches. Your whole body will feel alivened, lengthened and stretched. Then class explores variations of Wide legged forward fold and a sequence of seated poses targeting our groin and glutes. Suggested props: 2 bricks.

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Amy Holly

A fabulous Barre class for all body strength and balance. This upbeat, and quite challenging Barre workout is strengthening muscles without increasing bulk and will improve stamina, balance and posture. The focus of this class is 'every move you make' because every move has to come from the core! Done regularly barre workouts will increase your bone density, which will help prevent conditions like osteoporosis.

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Lucy McCarthy

This gentle hatha yoga classes eases us into the day, but is great for any time of day. This class will gently and slowly allow us to feel integrated and grounded, ready for the day. With plenty of supine hip openers, some standing and balancing poses and closing with a calming savasana, ready for the day.

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Andrea Kwiatkowski

This Jivamukti yoga class focuses on presence and being in the moment. Get moving straight away with side-bends to warm up, then a fiesty vinyasa yoga class. There's no relaxation at the end, so we recommend you end this practice with a relaxation class! Have a strap ready for some fun variations.

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Zephyr Wildman

A vinyasa yoga class weaved around yoga philosophy and the elements; this class works with the element of Earth. With this practice, we will stay close to the ground, strengthening, stabilising and calming the body. This is a strong practice building structural integrity through repetitive core work to target the pelvis and shoulders. Working with Hasta (hand) Mudras, Bija (seed) Mantras and imagery of this weeks topic Earth, to inspire a practice that will leave you feeling like a majestic mountain.

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Carlene Bogues

This energising morning yang yoga class starts in seated stillness and moves into a mobility warm up followed by a hatha flow with sun salutations at a mindful pace. Then explore poses that are held for longer, build strength and flexibility, working towards dancer’s pose by the wall. You will need one or perhaps two blocks, and perhaps a wall nearby. This morning yang class can be contrasted with Carlene’s Gently Energising Yin Class. Each practice with leave you feeling calm and relaxed in a different way. Try both each morning and let us know how you feel!

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Kate Walker

Targeting the hips in every direction, this inclusive yoga class will help the hips and legs will feel freer. The class is entirely floor-based and opens the front, back, sides and inner hips so is great to wind-down after a long day. You will need blocks, bricks and a strap.

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Vidya Heisel

An advanced vinyasa flow towards firefly pose, Titibasana, and Flying Lizard. Class begins with breath of fire to stimulate the nervous system, and increase fire in the body. Then we move swiftly to hip opening poses which work towards these advanced arm balances. This class is very short and intense, without much warm up, so would be a great class to add onto your practice today. You will need two blocks.

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Vidya Heisel

An advanced vinyasa flow class to improve your flexibility and strength and to work towards dragonfly and lotus headstand. Class starts with breath work and hip opening poses. The vinyasa flow then prepares the body for dragonfly pose before moving onto lotus and headstand variations. There’s plenty of variety and challenge in this fun, feisty class. As ever, do play safe and only do what is available to you. We recommend extending savasana with this class for as long as you have available. You will need access to a clear wall and a blanket.

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Gabriella Espinosa

This yoga class brings awareness to the pelvic floor and lower body through breath, gentle movement and deep relaxation. Starting with a long relaxation, we then bring gentle movement to the body, practicing yoga poses to bring tone and range of movement to the pelvic floor. Class ends with a guided lower body relaxation. Pelvic Floor health is essential as we transition into Perimenopause and Menopause. As our levels of oestrogen begin to fluctuate, this can have an effect on the tone and elasticity of the pelvic floor. Increased levels of stress and anxiety during this time can also lead to hypertonic or overactive pelvic floor muscles caused from too much tension or tightening of the pelvic floor. Pelvic floor muscles can also be weak or hypotonic meaning the muscles are not providing enough support for the bowels, bladder, and uterus. You will need a bolster, blankets, two cork bricks (if you have them, or books), a belt, sandbag or weights (optional).

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Katarina Rayburn

This is a swift-moving mandala salutation vinyasa yoga class. If you only have a spare half hour, it’s a sure and fast way to get you flowing and sweating. This power yoga class focuses on stretching and strengthening through your side body. Expect lots of lovely twists, plank variations and (optional) inversions. The mandala practice moves 360 degrees around your mat, so perhaps watch the first couple of flows to find out where Katarina takes you, or listen intently, as you won't always be able to see the screen. This change of perspective is a perfect way to change the way you look at life, getting insight from new ways of seeing things. The class focuses on igniting Agni (internal fire) and bringing awareness to Manipura chakra, our source of willpower and transformation. This class is the pure-flow for those who just need to move but if you want to extend this practice we recommend taking a supine twist to wake up the target area.

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Lucy McCarthy

A pregnancy yoga class for the second trimester, suitable for those who had an active yoga practise pre-pegnancy and are feeling well, healthy and mobile. This class focuses on strengthening and stabilisation in the hips. It is also a powerful practice to help cultivate strength and steadiness in body, mind and heart to take us through pregnancy, birth and motherhood, empowered from the inside out. You will need two blocks and a bolster, if you have one, for final relaxation.

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