On Wednesday, I told you a bit about why it’s so important to keep the tissues in your rear end fluffy, hydrated and fluid. This is very counter-intuitive to many of my massage clients and yoga students who work hard for their “buns of steel” and then often suffer from too much tightening in the gluteus maximus. If I could, I would require all of them to use the following Yoga Tune Up® exercises to fluff their butts.
Don’t think that your work is done after fluffing – the gluteus maximus often needs strengthening too. Bring your rear end into your awareness throughout your day, including when you walk and stand. Instead of plopping down into your chair, think of slowly lowering down into your chair and standing up. You can also practice Eagle Pose to help both stretch and strengthen your butt muscles. Make this pose even more powerful by attempting to pry the arms and legs away from one another to initiate a PNF.
Hopefully these tips help to bring your rear back in gear for a healthier back side!
Great roll-out butt smash! Love the use of “jean pocket outline”!
Thank you Elise!
I am a runner and my butt have so much need a “fluch massage” every day! Thank you to reminding me!
Thank you for this fresh perspective on the tush! Many of my yoga students also take lots of barre classes, and they’re all in terrible pain – piriformis syndrome, SI issues, and more. Your message is so important. Plus who wouldn’t want a fluffy butt? How nice does that sound?
Love your suggestions for both strengthening and stretching your GM’s and especially applicaitons to our daily activities, like sitting in a chair and standing up. In my walking gait, I spring off my back foot and lift my GM’s to give them an extra strength action.
Love the idea of fluffing my butt! Will definitely be more mindful in the future.
Thanks for this post! It’s a good reminder that the glutes can actually get dehydrated. The side rolling and IT ball work is a nice alternative to the ‘ol foam roller.
Having recently experienced sciatica pain I am determined to prevent its return. This video demonstrates ball rolling on the alpha ball to release and hydrate glute max and greater trochanter. It includes tips for strengthening glutes with Eagle Pose plus a PNF cue. Just as important—mindfulness of glutes as we walk, stand and seat ourselves in a chair with control—a reminder not just for the elderly to engage our muscles rather than simply “plop” into position.
I like the variation suggestion of crossing an ankle on the knee to deepen the roll. Excited to try that.
Great idea for making eagle pose also a PNF! Also love the idea of lowering Into a chair slowly! If you’re going to be sitting, at least make the journey there one of engagement!
This is important, those that just want to strengthen also need powerful recovery tips so that can strengthen the next day. You can only train as well as you recover.
L’idée de PNF dans cette séquence est génial. Pour l’avoir essayer, c’est très efficace, merci.
The concept of fluffing your butt is new to me but what a new and refreshing take. I have only heard about the importance of toning your butt in order to make it plump and full. As you mentioned, everyone is always thinking of attaining “guns of steel.” I can’t wait to try your ball rolling exercise in order to give the tissues in my butt some care and keep them “fluffy, hydrated, and fluid.
Thank you, very helpful tip to add the PNF component to eagle pose. Takes the pose and the body to whole new place.
Fluffing your butt, who knew?? Constantly walking up and downstairs while at work, continuously carrying boxes really work the gluteus. I had no idea that you could fluff them to keep them juicy. I’m going to try this and keep them open so that I can get a little less pain in those areas.
What a refreshing take on booties! It’s true. Most of the time people think about their glutes, they’re thinking about how toned they are or how much fat surrounds them. But thinking about the glutes as “…tissues in your rear end [that need to be] fluffy, hydrated and fluid..” is a really functional, performance friendly, body-honoring approach. I like it and I think I’ll stick with it 😉
Ball rolling the butt is a staple in my rolling classes. I like the PNF in Eagle pose as well. I find it easier to get the full wrap while doing the pose on my back then the PNF is much more effective.
Did this in class today and I would never have said that it would hurt!
Used the Alpha ball then the smaller one – definitely woke up something back and down there.
Finding a lot of body parts that need attention!
Definitely aware of these muscles more often now than ever – great ideas!
definitely going to go fluff my butt now….
I have never sat as much as I have in the past four days as I have in my most current training. Add in drive time and sitting for hours at night doing homework and I feel like I have no butt! I know I need to strengthen through the glutes and look forward to the results helping me through my next training. It will be like sitting on a pillow!
Fluffy butt! A concept i didn’t think I was going to hear of at this time where everyone wants the butt of steel. I loved the lubricate, hidrate the gluts. By rollling the YTU therapy balls I discovered I was one with a numb butt, I have awaken them and I would graciously continue to awaken it and making it fluffy!! This has made such a difference on how my posture is while I’m seating, how I carry my child from the floor, even the way I walk.
Thanks for this article, I love the “try to pry your arms and legs apart” to create a PNF stretch in Eagle and will be sure to incorporate that in my classes!
I like the idea of a fluffy butt instead of a tight butt, this will definitely bring more sensation in the gluteus, I also like the idea of hydrating my musles, making them more juicy, thank you for sharing this sequence
So much great advice in this short post! I did my first “butt fluffing” yesterday and loved it! I felt buoyant. Yet I really appreciate the advice to strengthen the glutes as well. eagle pose is a wonderful suggestion. I just tried the pose adding a PNF – wow! That’s brilliant!
I feel this most strongly in my IT band and hip flexors. In less than 5 minutes I can find release-fantastic! Love the tip about Garudasana.
I put my butt back on my butt today for the first time today in an amazing and fun class led by Elizabeth who’s a senior Yoga Tune Up certified instructor. For the first time I felt strong and subtle, and my butt felt like it wasn’t even there! truly amazing what balls can do to a butt! 😉
Elise,
Fun post and very interesting, I’ll get fluffing and report back soon:-)
I injured my low back a weeks ago (doing some reckless backbending) and after trying rolling out my back, hanging on an inversion table, and various stretches. It was butt fluffing on the wall that was the remedy. Love it.
Will include this in my personal routine as I have a desk job.
Love the Eagle Pose suggestions.
I’m a big fan of fluffing my buttocks following a great class today as part of my YTU teacher training today, So important to keep the low back and palvis happy 🙂
I use to have pain in that area. It was usualy conected with a stress that happend in my life. Yoga tune up balls help me a lot. You can always take them with you what is great!
really love this! we are constantly firing glutes in pilates and taught to have a nice firm booty, so sometimes overworking without any release work.
I anticipate the “fluff” meme going viral… though “buns of fluff” might not fly. Excellent rolling sequence – I like the pigeon leg variation. One question – any recommended modifications for folks with wrist or shoulder issues who still want the deep glute work?
I like using the perimeter of the pocket of the jeans as a guideline for rolling – presumably protects the sciatic nerve? Also like the idea of PNF for Eagle pose and general glute awareness during daily activities. Thanks!
I was diagnosed with Piriformis Syndrome which ended up going into nerve pain. My muscle is simply too tight and restricting/squeezing my nerve. I discovered the ball method from attending a yoga tune-up class at a local yoga studio in the Cleveland, Ohio area. I like that the video used the larger Alpha ball, because I really like that ball for rolling larger areas of my body. You can immediately find the tense tissues and if you are patient and regularly work with the balls, the inflammation does reduce and your tissues begin to heal. Better than any pill the doctors could prescribe!
There area a lot of things that I love about this blog and video Elise! You don’t HAVE To have on tight workout wear to be ready to roll. Just do it!! We are so obsessed with trying to get Buns of Steel that we forget that our butts could benefit from being fluffy and hydrated! Am definitely going to add this sequence to my class next week! Thank you! 🙂
Great rolling sequence! I also like the tip about using PNF in Garudasana to make it extra effective as a stretching & strengthening tool.
I am excited to add this YTU ball sequence to my repetoire. I also think its great to not just fluff up the area but also strenthen it. thanks for sharing
You had me at the title! The clientele I work with definitely falls into the category of women who overwork their glutes and avoid any releasing techniques (stretching, massage, etc.) because they feel like their efforts will be for nothing. A simple vocab change, using “fluff” instead of “loosen” or “release,” could work wonders. Thanks!
I think what people need is to just pick a program and stick to it. People are getting so many ideas from so many different angles, it must be confusing. Personally, I was trying for years to improve my backside, and it wasn’t until I just picked a program and stuck to it that I started to get results. There are a ton of programs out there for people to utilize, it’s just a matter of finding one that fits. Use a review site like http://www.Mybuttgoals.com and just pick something that fits you.
-Mia