Tight, Achy Hips? Unlock Them With These Hip-Opening Yoga Poses

Versatile hips aren’t nearly getting bendier; frequently training hip-opening yoga poses can considerably scale back decrease again ache and hip enhance vary of movement, making on a regular basis actions a lot simpler and extra pain-free, in keeping with a September-December 2019 examine within the Worldwide 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 potential. 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 improve 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 in case you spend numerous time sitting (it is us, hello).

Be a part of the Motion

In case you’re following together with our Motion of the Month Membership, you’ll do one pose every day, Monday via Saturday. Then on Sunday, you’ll do the total 5-minute routine.

Do every pose for 50 seconds (25 seconds on either side, the place vital) earlier than shifting on to the following one, for a complete of 5 minutes. In case you’re feeling particularly tight or when you 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 is going to make you’re feeling like a goddess. It strengthens your legs, hips, and core and deeply stretches your hips (exterior rotation) and inside 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, reducing your hips down towards the bottom.
3. Hold your knees monitoring according to your toes, guaranteeing they don’t collapse inward.
4. Goal 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 perimeters at shoulder peak, palms dealing with 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 to your lungs to refill 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 perimeters at shoulder peak, reaching actively via your fingertips.
4. For a deeper stretch, you may raise your arms overhead and attain upward, lengthening via your total physique.

3. Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana II)

By training warrior 2 pose, you encourage openness throughout your hips and chest and create a way of groundedness that may additionally offer you an power increase.

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 immediately over your proper ankle.
5. Hold your left leg straight and robust, urgent firmly into the outer fringe of your left foot.
6. Prolong your arms out to the perimeters at shoulder peak, parallel to the bottom, together with your palms dealing with down.
7. Return to heart, 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 perimeters at shoulder peak, palms dealing with down.
3. On an exhale, tilt your torso to the precise, 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 right down to your left heel.
5. To launch, inhale as you straighten your proper leg and raise 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 progressively loosens the hip flexors, adductors, and muscle mass 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 must be parallel to the ground, with the precise knee aligned over your proper ankle. Hold 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 focusing 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 outdoors your proper hip reasonably than immediately 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, reducing 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, raise your hips, and return to downward-facing canine.
7. Shake out your proper leg, then repeat the sequence together with your left leg ahead.