In an earlier post we touched on what CARs (controlled articular rotations) were and why they are important to learn for postural yoga. However the importance of joint articulation and rotation goes way beyond the scope of yoga.
Movement is part of our everyday lives wether we choose to accept it or not. Life requires an individual to be mobile, the better we can understand our movements (articulations), the more we can understand our current limitations and how to address them. This is why the CAR concepts is so important.
In this video we explain the six different articulations of the hip joint and how to effectively perform a CAR (controlled articular rotation) from a standing and quadruped position.
How to Learn the Hip CAR
The basic articulations:
- Flexion and Extension
- Abduction and Adduction
- External Rotation (lateral) and Internal Rotation (medial)
The Hip CAR (controlled articular rotation):
- Start standing
- Bend the knee and thigh (femur) moving the leg diagonally across the midline of the body for adduction
- Then take the thigh (femur) towards the belly or rib cage for hip flexion at end range
- Externally rotate the hip while moving it away from the midline of the body (to the side as far as possible) for abduction
- Maintain abduction while internally rotating the hip moving it into extension (avoid moving the leg back into adduction while rotating the hip internally)
- Begin again moving the leg towards the midline of the body diagonally for adduction
- Avoid folding or hinging in the standing leg for compensation
- Always express current end ranges
- Repeat again or in the opposite direction if desired
