As a yogi, you are quite familiar with the term split. Split is a certain pose in yoga in which both legs are aligned and extended oppositely. A split pose helps to deeply stretch the thighs and opens the hip flexors. If you are able to do this pose, your personality becomes more patient. Because achieving an alignment is not a piece of cake. But not all yogis can perform it properly even they have a flexible body. Are you one of them? Don’t be upset, in this article we are going to discuss how long does it take to do a split?
Poses to consider before practicing split
Before discussing the time period you need to do a split. Let’s have a look at the basic poses you need to practice before doing split. These poses provide you enough flexibility and alignment that able you to do split in a short time.
- Seated forward pose
- Low lunge
- Lizard lunge
- Half split pose
- Reclining hand to Big toe pose
- Reclined quad stretch
- Reclined pigeon pose
30 day splits challenge
30-days of the split challenge is quite real as you experience every stretch and target all your muscles. If you want to become perfect in doing split, divide the 30-day split challenge into days. Here below we are going to discuss different poses and tips for each week that make you do split flawlessly.
Day 1-10
The first thing you need to examine these days is the flexibility of your body. Unroll your yoga mat and start bending and stretching your body. Bend your body into positions in which it is not used to. Practice at least 10 bending positions daily and give each position one minute. This tip will help to make your body flexible a lot.
Day 11-20
Increase the time of your practice from 10 to 15 minutes these days. As in the first 10-days, you don’t go through hard stretches but in this, you have to do. You will go to tough stretches quite easily if your body is warm. Deep stretches may cause pain in your muscles. So give the first 5 minutes of your practice to warm up your body. Then practice the Pigeon pose which is half split in the last 10 minutes. While doing this yoga pose keep your hip muscle stretch. Do three times on each leg for 1 minute.
Day 21-30
The last 10 days are the most challenging days as you are going to do the splits perfectly. After warming up your body in the first 5-minutes, give the last 10 minutes of your practice to split. The last 20 days of your exercise make your body flexible enough that you go into stretches without being injured. Slide right foot forward and left foot backward. Low down your back and balance yourself with help of your hands.
If you struggle a lot while doing this, use a yoga block under your crotch. This will help you to position your upper body correctly. But make sure that end of this challenge you able to do a split without using yoga block.
Split practice in one week
If you can’t wait for 30-days to become an expert in a split. So here we bring up one week challenge for you. If you do yoga on daily basis then one week split challenge becomes quite easy for you. Here we are going to discuss the 7 yoga exercises that you will practice 7 days of the week. But before discussing that, there is a common step that you have to practice every day after yoga exercise.
Split stretch (Common step)
In this step, you slide your right foot forward and left foot back. Low down your upper body gradually and balance yourself with both hands. Low down yourself as much you can easily.
Straddle stretch | Monday
Sit on the floor and far apart your legs as much as you can easily. It will help you to check the flexibility of your body. Hold your legs apart for 30 seconds and repeat this step 3 times.
Seated forward fold | Tuesday
Sit on the yoga mat and straighten your legs in front of you. Bend your upper body and hold both feet with your hands. Hold this pose for 30 seconds and repeat it 3 times.
Butterfly stretch | Wednesday
Sit on the floor and join the sole of both feet together in front of your crotch. Hold both feet with your hands and keep your shoulder straight.
Standing hamstring stretch | Thursday
Stand straight and bring your right leg forward. Place your right hand on your right thigh by bending forward. Keep your right leg straight while your left leg can be slightly tilted.
Frog stretch | Friday
Standing on knees and elbows move your knees apart slowly. Keep your back straight when doing this pose.
Lying hamstring stretch | Saturday
Lie down straight on your back and lift your right leg straight up. Try to touch your right feet with your right hand. If it discomforts you, you can use a yoga strap.
Low lunge stretch | Sunday
Stand on your left knee and right foot. Straight up your arms and hold this pose for 30 seconds. Repeat it on both sides.
Things to remember while doing a split challenge
- Low down your upper body slowly to avoid any injury
- Practice makes a man perfect, so make sure you practice on a daily basis to get perfect aligned splits
- Don’t force your body to reach the floor in the beginning days of your challenge as it may cause harm to you
How to do the splits fast and easy for beginners?
Split is all about flexibility Beginners may found difficulty in doing the splits. They may ask a question that how long does it take to do a split. So, here are some tips to do the splits fast and easy for beginners.
Warm-up your body
Warm muscles stretch more easily than cold muscles. So before doing splits warm up your body. Bend and fold your body into certain positions to ensure effective splits. You can take a hot shower to improve the mobility of your muscles.
Be calm to your body
Deep stretches may cause pain in muscles as they take time to move with joints. Be calm to your body during split practice. Don’t undergo stretches that hurt your muscles.
Active stretching
Stretch and strengthen your muscles using the active stretching technique. In this technique, you stretch other muscles with help of one muscle. Keep your flexible muscles opposite to the target muscle. Do not hold a certain position for more than 10 seconds while doing active stretching.
Exhale during split practice
Although exhaling is tough during split practice, it helps to make your muscles go into deep stretches easily. When you exhale, oxygen is used as fuel by muscles to hold deep stretches easily.
Consistency
Consistency is the key to success. Don’t skip even a single day of your split challenge. Daily practice makes your splits more aligned and flawless.
Conclusion
Split yoga is a great exercise to make you flexible to an extent. It strengthens your core and hip muscles. As we discussed in detail how long does it take to do a split, still you have any query, comment below. We are looking forward to answering your queries. Have flawless splits.