Yoga for tight hips: 5 poses to help improve flexibility
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Wellness
Reading time: 6 minutes
Help release tight hips & improve flexibility with these expert-approved, hip-opening yoga poses – complete with step-by-steps
Hip tightness a literal pain in the proverbial? Unlike hip pain, which is a common complaint – especially as we get older – hip tightness or tension is most likely caused by a sedentary lifestyle. Not sure if you’ve got hip pain or tension? With hip pain, you’ll tend to experience discomfort radiating to the buttocks, groin, thighs, back or knees, muscles around the thighs or lower legs and, for those who have them, testicles. According to the NHS, there are lots of possible causes of hip pain, such as a sudden injury or a longer-lasting problem like arthritis. If the pain is impacting your daily life or it doesn’t improve after you’ve taken steps to help ease it, seek advice from your GP.
Hip tension happens when the hip flexors become tight, weakening the gluteal muscles. This combination can negatively affect our ability to walk and maintain proper posture, as well as our lumbar spine stability.
Here, we ask Matt Penman, yoga expert at London holistic wellness hub, Bodyism, about the hip-opening yoga you can do at home that may help improve hip flexibility and ease stiffness.
What causes hip tightness?
Hip tension is most likely caused by your lifestyle. “It can be caused by loads of different things – including sitting in chairs,” explains Matt.“ When we sit in chairs for long periods of our day – perhaps at a desk – your hip flexors can shorten and pull on the muscles around it, causing problems, including limited flexibility in the hips”
Your hip flexors are a group of muscles that work to flex the hip and raise and lower the legs. These can become tight if not used for long periods of time.
When can yoga help hip tightness?
“Yoga can help with hip tightness, by focusing on lengthening that area. It can effectively stretch the hip flexors and begin to relieve the resistance and tightness,” Matt explains.
Unless you’re a wheelchair user, sitting down for extended periods of time can be a risk to your health, with a sedentary lifestyle linked to a range of health problems, from hip pain to heart and circulatory diseases, such as heart attack and stroke.
If you find you’re falling short of the NHS’s suggested 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week, spread over four to five days (for adults aged 19 to 64 years of age), adding yoga into your weekly routine can be helpful.
It can also have wider benefits. “Accessing the root chakra at the base of the spine through breathing and various yoga postures can facilitate an engagement with the present moment,” Matt tells us.
“You find clarity and focus and emotional connection to others when you are balanced within your root chakra, as well as a feeling of being grounded, which we can all benefit from.”
However, if your hip pain is chronic, you haven’t exercised previously or for a long amount of time, or you have a health condition, speak to your GP before starting a new exercise regime so that you can discuss and plan a routine that best works for you.
What should you avoid in yoga when you have hip tightness?
If you’re a seasoned yogi already, it should come as no surprise that the positions that work well for one person, might not work so well for others.
Listening to your body is fundamental – but what should you be listening out for?
“When the discomfort feels sharp or ‘twingey’ rather than a dull pain, you should stop,” says Matt.
A one-to-one session with a teacher for your first session is a good idea to ensure your alignment and form is correct.
Discuss any injuries, recent medical issues or pain that you’re managing with the instructor before you start.
It’s best to stop if your pain gets worse, or doesn’t get better, and see a GP for advice.
How often should you be practising yoga for tight hips?
“This all depends on your unique tension,” explains Matt. “Build your practice slowly and carefully as you listen to your body.”
Bear in mind that everything within the body is interlinked. “Remember to focus on the entire body, rather than just the part that’s experiencing discomfort,” says Matt.
“Glute strengthening, quad engagement, hamstring stretching and core work can all help alleviate the issue.
“Most people have injuries or sensitivities, so you have to learn to take that into account when you move. The worst thing is to do nothing at all – even if it’s tempting to rest indefinitely (though don’t overdo it).”
What yoga poses are good for tight hips & to improve flexibility?
Matt shares (and illustrates) his top yoga hip stretches that may be useful for relieving tightness, tension and discomfort in the hips.
Want to give them a go, but are new to yoga? Talk to your GP before making a start to help identify any possible risks and monitor your progress.
“The following postures should be held for five to 10 breaths,” instructs Matt. “Always lead with the breath and listen closely to pain or discomfort signals.”
1. The garland pose
1. Stand with your feet apart, as wide as the mat.
2. Soften the knees and lower into a squat as you raise your hands to the heart space in the front and centre of your breastbone.
3. Press the elbows into the inner knees and lift the chest and hold.
4. Avoid rounding the spine, keeping your back long and straight with every breath. Imagine a string pulling you upwards from the top of your head.
Top tip: “If your hip flexors are particularly tight, don’t go too low,” says Matt. “You can go parallel to the mat with the torso and press the knees wide from there.”
2. The crescent pose
1. Standing with your feet hip-width apart at the top of the mat, step your left foot back into a runner’s lunge with the heel stacked above the ball of the foot.
2. Make sure your fingertips are underneath your shoulders and your right front shin is straight over the top of your right foot – not too far forwards.
3. The right knee should bend to 90° and the left leg should straighten by pressing your heel back and lifting your left inner thigh.
4. Raise your arms above your head, stretching through your fingertips and lift through the chest as you draw your front ribs down and in.
5. Repeat on the other side.
Top tip: “Try not to move the torso up and down as you raise and lower into the lunge,” says Matt.
3. The warrior 2 pose
1. Standing at the top of the mat with feet hip-width apart, step your left foot back wide, opening up through the hips. Your left foot should be at a 45-degree angle, toes pointing to the front left side of the mat. Your right foot is facing forward, with your toes directly pointed at the front of your mat.
2. Press the four corners of your feet down and firm your legs up as you raise your arms parallel to the floor, keeping your shoulders down and your neck long.
3. Bend your right knee, keeping it over your ankle and press the top of your left thigh back and ground the outside of your left foot into the floor.
4. Draw your lower abdomen in and up and lengthen your spine.
5. Repeat on the other side.
Top tip: “When doing these deep hip openers, do not extend your knee beyond your ankle, as this leaves the knee unsupported by your lower leg,” says Matt.
4. The butterfly pose
1. Sitting on the floor with your legs out in front of you, bring the soles of your feet together and in towards your pelvis so that the knees are wide.
2. Take hold of the ankles and, keeping the spine straight, pull the chest forward. Allow the knees to relax towards the floor as you breathe into the stretch.
Top tip: “Place blocks under your knees if they’re sensitive,” says Matt.
5. Reclined bound angle pose
1. Sitting on the floor with your legs out in front of you, bring the soles of your feet together and in towards your pelvis so that the knees are wide.
2. Bring your arms behind you to rest on your forearms to open up the front body.
3. Lie all the way back if you can, resting with your arms overhead and melting into the floor and stretch.
Top tip: “Lift the hips away from the heels to deepen the stretch and engage the glutes,” suggests Matt.
The mat to stretch it out on
Primal Strength Premium Yoga Mat
• Weight: 2kg
• Length: 1.83m
• Material: rubber
Whether you’re deep into an energetic flow or melting into a delicious shavasana, this luxuriously padded mat offers the comfort your practice needs, allowing you to relax or cushion the impact of your workout. Socks on or off – it doesn’t matter. The slip-resistant surface offers the layer of grip you need to go all in.
