why am i feeling hip flexor work in my mid-back instead?

This is Ashtanga Yoga Tech Support. Real questions from the yoga community, answered.

The Question

I feel hip flexor stretches in my mid-back instead of my hip flexor. It seems like as my mid-back extends and lengthens, I start to actually get into the hip flexor. Is this normal?

— from a MJH note

Our Response

Yes. Your mid-back is doing the work first because it has to. The hip flexor can’t lengthen under control until the spine behind it organizes.

You’re working in eccentric contraction—lengthening with control. What you’re trying to figure out is how to rotate the pelvis forward while the knee pulls back. The mid-back extension is part of that map.

Once you can hang there on your own even a little bit, you’re going to own that space fast. A day or two. The bottleneck is the organization, not the tissue. It won’t stay stuck in your back for long.