Hip Bone Pulleys

Why do this?

Great for encouraging side to side symmetry, improved pelvic alignment and increased hip flexibility.

What it does for me:

Hip Bone Pulleys absolutely help me to obtain an even, balanced pelvis. My body is more proportionate on both sides. After doing the exercise for 2 or 3 weeks while lying on my back, I was then able to do them while first sitting and then standing. Now, I do Pulleys driving to and from the barn before and after I ride and while standing in line at the market checkout or at the movies.

Breathe - inhale through your breastbone and exhale through the bottom of your shoulders.

Encourage a neutral, not arched, spine.

Imagine the Plus Sign - evenly balance and stack your spine up and down vertically and make your pelvis level side to side horizontally.

Go for symmetrical range of motion.

Lie flat on your back with knees bent and feet on the floor.
Find the bony tips on the front part of your hips with your fingertips. Level out the tips so they are even with each other by wiggling your spine around on the floor.
Imagine these bony tips of your hip bones as two Ferris wheels, side by side.
Lift or roll one up while simultaneously lowering or rolling down the other one as if each hip bone or Ferris wheel were attached to a pulley on a string.
Remember to constantly imagine the Plus Sign - evenly balance and stack your spine up and down vertically and make your pelvis level side to side horizontally.
Do the lifting/lowering tilts evenly and smoothly in a rhythm matching your breathing cycle.
As you inhale, lift one hip bone up and simultaneously lower one hip bone done.
As you exhale, come back with each hip bone to its neutral center position on each side.
Again, as you inhale, simultaneously lift up and lower down the hipbones on the opposite sides.
As you exhale, come back with each hip bone to its neutral center position on each side.
Keep the motion of this movement isolated in the hips.

Repeat the Hip Bone Pulley on each side 15 times.

Give yourself 2 - 3 weeks to integrate this movement into your body in the lying position first. Then, give yourself another 2 - 3 weeks to integrate this movement into your body in the sitting position. Then, try the movement while standing.

Remember, the movement is isolated in the hips no matter what position you do the movement.

After you are doing Hip Bone Pulleys in sitting and/or standing positions as described above, try the variation. The variation aims to achieve an isolated effect on the lower spine and sacrum.

Variation One

While sitting or standing, visualize that you are simultaneously rolling your hip bones forward and backward on opposite side in a counter rotation movement.
As you inhale, pivot one hip bone forward while simultaneously pivoting the other backward.
As you exhale, come back with each hip bone to its neutral center position on each side.
Again, as you inhale, simultaneously pivot one hip bone forward whle pivoting the other backward on the opposite.
As you exhale, come back with each hip bone to its neutral center position on each side.

Repeat this pivoting motion on each side 15 times.

Again, make sure you are balancing and stacking your spine and leveling your pelvis (think of the Plus Sign) in coordination with your breathing.