5 Poses for your Hips
Our hips can carry a lot of tension and stress, did you know that? Try these 5 poses for your hips to loosen up not just your muscles but your stress!
I know I have tight hips. For me, it causes an anterior tilt and for many tight hips means less range of motion.
Working through the poses I am sharing today will safely open up the hips.
You might get a bit more benefit than just stretched out hips- like releasing tension or stored emotions.
We often think only about the psoas muscle being near our booty. The muscle actually runs from your lumbar spine to your groan. Sitting ever so comfy in this long muscle is the adrenal glands. Yep, our fight or flight responders! Our natural response to danger and trauma your psoas muscle actually tightens.
There are research studies to support our bodies store emotion- think about how much stress and trauma we internalize. Think about that!
Let’s move through these 5 poses for your hips together. Holding each pose for 5 long breaths; or however long feels comfortable for you.
LOTUS
Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front.
Bend your right knee and pull it in towards your chest. Bring your right ankle to the crease of your left hip so the sole of your right foot faces the sky. The top of your foot rests on your hip crease.
Bend your left knee. Cross your left ankle over the top of your right shin. The sole of the left foot should face upwards and the top of your foot and ankle should rest on your hip crease
Draw your knees as close together as possible. Press your groins towards the floor while sitting up straight
The hands may rest on the knees with palms face up or you may choose another variation
HIGH LUNGE/CRESCENT
Begin in downward facing dog. As you exhale, step the right foot between the hands and align the knee over the heel.
Keep the left leg strong and firm and tuck the back left toes. On an inhale, raise the torso to an upright position and sweep the arms up to the sides with the palms facing one another.
Do not overarch the low back. Instead, keep the tailbone long by drawing it down towards the floor and reaching back through the left heel. This helps the shoulder blades to sink deeper into the back which supports the chest.
Turn the gaze up towards the thumbs.
Be careful not to jut the front ribs forward. Rather, draw them down and into the torso as you lift the arms from the low back ribs, stretching all the way through the pinky fingers.
REVOLVED HIGH LUNGE
- Start in Downward Facing Dog and step your right foot in between your hands.
- Bend your front knee and stack it over your ankle. Engage your core and place left hand on mat as you rotate your torso and extend right arm towards the sky.
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HALF SPLIT
- Begin in Downward-Facing Dog, with the palms firmly grounded and the hips lifting up high and back. Take a few breaths here, bending the knees and lifting the heels to open up through the back of the legs.
- On an exhale, step your right foot forward between your hands. Lower down onto your left knee and release the top of the left foot on the ground.
- Flex your right foot, coming up onto the heel and extending your toes back toward you, and begin to straighten your right leg as much as you comfortably can.
- Keep your hips square and stacked over your left knee. Inhale to lengthen your spine, and as you exhale, begin to fold over your right leg.
- Find the action of energetically drawing your right heel back while reaching your chest forward, and draw your shoulder blades down your back and away from your ears
SEATED FIGURE FOUR
- Sit with the left knee bent towards the chest and the foot on the floor as close to the butt as possible. Arms should be behind you, fingertips pointing forward. Cross right ankle over left thigh.
- Turn hands around and push chest forward, bringing chest into legs. Keep the back straight.
I encourage you to try these 5 poses out for your hips a few times a week or after a stressful day. See what releases. Maybe a headache is lifted and your mood in addition to a really great stretch.
