Yoga Poses For Tight Hips Part 2

Yoga Poses For Tight Hips

Our hips demonstrate our ability to carry our body in perfect balance, and is our major thrust in moving forwards both physically and emotionally in our lives.

Hip injury or tension represents a fear of moving forward in major decisions and letting go of the past and concerns about the unknown future {read more in the first post}. 

 

Virasana:  Hero’s Pose 

If you have any knee injuries/ sensitivities please listen to your body. You may want to place a blanket beneath your knees, shins and feet (if need be.)

Start by kneeling and working your hips towards the ground behind you, and slowly work on bringing your thighs perpendicular with the floor and your heels to the outer edges of your thighs. 

Angle your big toes slightly towards one another with the top of the foot pressing towards the ground. 

You can roll your calf muscles out to the sides away from you to make room for the buttocks to touch down. If it doesn’t, you can sit on a blanket or block.

Work on sitting up straight, feeling your shoulder blades moving down towards the hips and the chest puffing up, as you broaden your collar bones. Hands rest in your lap. 

Stay here for 1 minute.

Option:

If you want to experiment with the sensation, you may choose to start to recline in the pose. To start this, you can bring your hands behind your hips and lower onto the forearms, pausing here to listen. (Image B)

Image B

Then you may work your way all the way back with the arms along side the body or taking them over head and reaching for opposite elbows. (Image C)

Image C

Stay here for 1 additional minute.

To exit the pose from the reclined position, bring the hands alongside the body and press back to Hero’s Pose and pause. Then bring the body weight forwards and then extended the legs out coming into the Pentacle Pose for 1 minute.

Figure 4 - Simple and good for knee / Outer Hips

Right Side:

Image D

Start by laying down on your back, with soles of the feet to ground at hip distance apart, knees bent towards the sky. Lift your right leg to a 90 degree angel (shin parallel to the floor – Image D) and flex your foot (toes point back towards the knee and heel extending away from you) and focus on keeping the foot flexed throughout the pose. This protects the knee joint as well as working the ITB/ external rotators muscles of the hip.

Then place your right ankle on the left thigh just below the knee. 

Image E

Options

1. Stay here and feel the sensation. (Image E)
2. Start to walk the left foot closer to the buttocks, and perhaps come onto the left toes.
3. if you want even more, clasp your hands beneath your left thigh, or over left shin and draw your left leg closer towards your torso. Once you have the grip, begin to lower your head and shoulders back towards the ground. (Image F)
4. if you still want more you can extend and straighten your left leg, reaching the sole of the left foot towards the sky. (Image G)

Image F

Image G

To exit the pose, slowly release the grip and extend both legs out in front of you and relax in Pentacle Pose.

Repeat on the left side.

Hold: 1 minute 30 seconds - 2 minutes

Outer Hips - ITB
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana: 1/2 Pigeon Pose

As mentioned earlier, if you have any knee injuries/ sensitivities please listen to your body.You can always take the previous pose as this is more knee friendly (Pose 4 - Simple and good for knee / Outer Hips)

Right Side:

Image H

Start in Downward Facing Dog, and step your right foot between your hands. Gently lower your back knee down to the ground and either keep your back toes tucked under or plant the top of the foot down. (Image H)

Image I

Then begin to heel-toe your right foot over towards your left wrist, flexing the foot once you have lowered it. Lower your right knee to the outer edge of your right wrist. (Image I)

The right foot and shin can be positioned wherever is most comfortable, as this depends on your hip joint and openness. The important thing is to keep the for flexed to protect the knee and work on having the blade of the foot on the ground.

Walk your hands alongside your hips, coming onto the fingertips and get long through the spine. Take a deep breath in, then slowly drape your torso forwards and over your front leg. (Image J and K or L – depending on your body)

Image J

Image K

Image L

Keep working evening out the weight in both hips.

Keep breathing into the sensation and relaxing the upper body as much as you can.

To exit the pose, slowly awaken the hands, walking them back in towards the body. Press down into the hands and slowly move back to Downward Facing Dog, peddling the legs and taking any movement that feels good. 

Repeat on the left side.

Hold: 2 - 3 minutes

Agni Stambhasana: Double Pigeon 

As I mentioned earlier, If you have any knee injuries/ sensitivities please listen to your body. You can take the previous pose as this is more knee friendly (Figure 4 - Simple and good for knee / Outer Hips)

Ride Side:

Start with both legs extended out in front of you. Feel both sitting bones connecting into the mat.

Image M

Image N

Then make a right angle with your left leg with the shin as close to parallel with the front edge of the mat. Then stack your right shin on top of left. (Image M). Keep both feet flexed to protect the knees and direct the sensation to the outer edges of the hips. 

Options:

1. If this is not working - keep the left leg extended out in front of you or take another pose as mentioned earlier. (Image M)
2. If the right knee is hanging in mid-air, you can take a block or two and place it between the knee and the left foot (Image M/N)

Keep your hands either side of the hips, take a deep breath in and get long through the spine.

Options:

1. Stay vertical with the spine
2. On the exhale, tilt forward from the pelvis, leading with the chest and drape the torso forwards over the legs to amplify the sensation. (Image O)

Image O

To exit the pose, walk the hands back and lean the body weight into the hands. Slowly straight right leg then left. Come to rest in Pentacle Pose.

Repeat on the left side.

Hold:  2 - 3 minutes

Yoga Poses For Tight Hips