Hip-Opening Yoga: 6 Poses to Unlock Tight Hips

Versatile hips aren’t nearly getting bendier; commonly working towards hip-opening yoga poses can considerably cut back decrease again ache and hip enhance vary of movement, making on a regular basis actions a lot simpler and extra pain-free, based on a September-December 2019 examine within the International Journal of Yoga.

“Consider all of the actions you do in a day; all of them contain your hips, do not they?” says Paige Willis, RYT-200, licensed yoga teacher and founding father of Undone, a pop-up yoga expertise. “You stroll, sit, attain, and bend, and your hips are the engine that makes all of it doable. So in the event that they’re tight, these every day actions will really feel stickier, much less snug.”

Willis is the host of our April 2024 Motion of the Month Membership, specializing in yoga. Designed to ease pressure and enhance mobility, these six yoga poses for Week 3 of this system carry a way of aid and openness you won’t have felt shortly—particularly should you spend plenty of time sitting (it is us, hello).

Be part of the Motion

If you happen to’re following together with our Movement of the Month Club, you’ll do one pose every day, Monday via Saturday. Then on Sunday, you’ll do the complete 5-minute routine.

Do every pose for 50 seconds (25 seconds on all sides, the place needed) earlier than transferring on to the subsequent one, for a complete of 5 minutes. If you happen to’re feeling particularly tight or you probably have extra time, be at liberty to do every transfer for so long as feels good.

1. Goddess Pose (Utkata Konasana)

The ability of this pose is within the identify: It would make you’re feeling like a goddess. It strengthens your legs, hips, and core and deeply stretches your hips (exterior rotation) and internal thighs.

1. Stand tall together with your toes wider than hip-width aside, toes pointed barely outward and arms by your sides.
2. On an exhale, bend your knees deeply, decreasing your hips down towards the bottom.
3. Maintain your knees monitoring consistent with your toes, guaranteeing they don’t collapse inward.
4. Intention to carry your thighs parallel to the bottom (in case your flexibility permits), forming a proper angle together with your calves.
5. Prolong your arms out to the edges at shoulder top, palms going through ahead or upward.

2. Star Pose (Utthita Tadasana)

This pose reaches virtually each muscle in your physique by having you stretch out in all instructions, whereas creating area for your lungs to fill up and your coronary heart to open.

1. Stand tall together with your toes collectively and arms by your sides.
2. On an inhale, step your toes aside, spreading them about 3 to 4 toes aside.
3. Prolong your arms out to the edges at shoulder top, reaching actively via your fingertips.
4. For a deeper stretch, you’ll be able to elevate your arms overhead and attain upward, lengthening via your complete physique.

3. Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana II)

By working towards warrior 2 pose, you encourage openness throughout your hips and chest and create a way of groundedness that may additionally offer you an vitality enhance.

1. Stand tall together with your toes collectively and arms by your sides.
2. Take a step again together with your left foot, about 3 to 4 toes behind your proper foot.
3. Flip your left foot out barely, roughly 45 to 90 levels, so your toes level towards the left aspect of your mat.
4. Bend your proper knee, stacking it straight over your proper ankle.
5. Maintain your left leg straight and robust, urgent firmly into the outer fringe of your left foot.
6. Prolong your arms out to the edges at shoulder top, parallel to the bottom, together with your palms going through down.
7. Return to middle, then repeat on the opposite aspect.

4. Prolonged Facet Angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)

Take warrior 2 one step additional to open your hips, strengthen your legs, and stretch your aspect physique much more.

1. Start in warrior 2 (see above) together with your proper knee bent and your proper thigh parallel to the bottom.
2. Prolong your arms out to the edges at shoulder top, palms going through down.
3. On an exhale, tilt your torso to the fitting, bringing your proper forearm to relaxation in your proper thigh.
4. Prolong your left arm overhead, reaching towards the entrance of your mat, making a straight line out of your left fingertips all the way down to your left heel.
5. To launch, inhale as you straighten your proper leg and elevate your torso again as much as warrior 2.
6. Repeat the pose on the opposite aspect, transitioning via warrior 2 together with your left knee bent.

5. Standing Facet Lunge

This dynamic lunge variation requires the hip of the prolonged leg to open and the groin space to stretch. This engages and regularly loosens the hip flexors, adductors, and muscle groups surrounding the pelvis, growing hip vary of movement, encouraging higher circulation to those areas, and enhancing flexibility and mobility over time.

1. Stand together with your toes collectively, fingers at your sides, and distribute your weight evenly via each toes.
2. With an exhale, step your toes about 3 to 4 toes aside.
3. Bend your proper knee and push your hips again to decrease right into a lateral lunge. Your proper thigh needs to be parallel to the ground, with the fitting knee aligned over your proper ankle. Maintain your left leg straight, together with your left foot firmly planted on the bottom.
4. Straighten your leg, then repeat on the opposite leg.
5. Proceed to rock aspect to aspect.

6. Half Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

Half pigeon pose opens the hips by concentrating on each the deep hip rotators and hip flexors via a balanced stretch, selling flexibility and offering aid gently.

1. Start in downward-facing canine. Take a deep breath in, lifting your proper leg as much as the sky.
2. As you exhale, carry your proper knee ahead towards your proper wrist. Place your proper knee on the mat and place it simply exterior your proper hip relatively than straight in entrance.
3. Slowly stroll your proper foot towards the left aspect of your mat, aiming to carry your shin parallel to the entrance fringe of the mat.
4. Gently decrease your hips towards the mat, guaranteeing they’re squared to the entrance of your room or mat. Place a folded blanket or a yoga block beneath your proper hip if it doesn’t comfortably attain the ground.
5. For a deeper stretch, slowly stroll your fingers ahead, decreasing your torso down over your proper leg.
6. To launch the pose, gently stroll your fingers again towards your physique, lifting your torso. Tuck your left toes, elevate your hips, and return to downward-facing canine.
7. Shake out your proper leg, then repeat the sequence together with your left leg ahead.