Yoga Poses for the Hips

The tightness or flexibility of your hips affects more than just your hips. Tight hips can cause a pelvic tilt that throws off the rest of your alignment.This can shorten the hamstrings and cause lumbar (lower back) pain. In our society, the hips go overlooked most of the time. Even something as simple as sitting cross-legged on your feet can be a gentle hip stretch, but we usually sit in chairs with our legs straight and our feet on the ground. There are many hip poses for all the different muscle groups in the hips that need to be used and stretched, so doing a variety of hip poses is the most effective way to relieve tight hips. Try these hip openers to help you loosen them up.

1.) Baddha konasana or bound angle pose: This is a nice, simple, effective hip opener that can be done on the floor or even in a chair at work. Simply sit with a straight back and your legs out in front of you (if you find it hard to sit with a straight back you may want to place your sits bones (the 2 bones you sit on) on folded blankets to elevate yourself). Then bend your legs and bring them in one at a time so that the soles of your feet meet and your knees are pointing out to the sides and dropping down towards the floor. If you can bring your feet close to your groin, that's great. If you can't, just keep them at a comfortable distance. If you can sit with a straight back while holding onto your ankles or feet, you can do that. If that is difficult, if you're even rounding your back slightly (you may want to use a mirror to see your back, sometimes it can feel straight when it's not), then place your hands on the floor behind you. From here, begin to use the muscles in your legs to move your knees closer to the floor. If this is all fairly easy for you, you can increase the stretch by bringing the big toe sides of your feet apart while keeping the pinkie toe sides together. This will help move the legs closer to the floor. If you find this stretch difficult, try placing blankets under your knees and simply resting in this pose for a few moments.

There is a version of this pose that is done while lying down--its called supta bandha konasana. This can be a nice pose to relax in and let your hips gently and gradually open. You may also want to rest your legs on blankets in this version.
If you're comfortable in bound angle, you can increase the stretch by moving into a forward bend in the pose. Simply grasp your feet with your hands and bend forward (from your hips) over your legs. Relax into this pose and breathe, holding it for as long as your comfortable.
Check out a picture of bound angle and bound angle forward bend at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/everydayelsie/406504655/in/set-72157594563196997/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/everydayelsie/406504634/in/set-72157594563196997/

2.) Eye of the needle (the piriformis stretch): This pose is done lying on your back. Begin with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Lift your right leg and rotate it sideways so that your knee is pointing out towards the right. Place your right ankle above your left knee so that your foot is hanging off the edge. Then bring your left foot off the floor and your left knee towards your chest. Reach both arms around the back of the left thigh, one through the hole created between your right and left leg and one around the outside of your left leg (interlace your fingers if you can), and pull your legs gently toward your chest.(If you cannot reach your arms around, use a strap.) You should feel this stretch in your outer hips. Hold the pose for a least a few breaths, more if you're comfortable, breathing comfortably and slowly. Then repeat on the other side.

3.) Reclining cross leg twist: This is a great one to do in conjunction with eye of the needle (above). Begin with your legs in the eye of the needle position and your arms open out to the sides. On an exhale, move your knees toward the floor on your right, hold for that exhale, then inhale the to center. Exhale them to the left. Repeat once or twice more for each side, then cross the top leg further over the bottom leg, so the right knee is on top of the left (skirt-wearing leg position). Then drop the knees to the right, relax into the pose and breathe. Hold it for 30 seconds to a minute if comfortable before taking it to the other side. After you finish that sequence, switch legs so the left is on top and do it all again.

4.) Reclining fire log: Again, start by lying on your back, with your knees bent. Let the left knee drop down onto floor on the left, then place the right ankle on the left knee, keeping the right knee moving down and to the right. Keep trying to move the right knee down towards the floor as you breathe. Hold for a few breaths, longer if you're comfortable, then come out of the pose and take it to the other side.
You can also do this pose in a seated position. Check out a photo of the seated version at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/everydayelsie/398330536/in/set-72157594549493719/

5.) Happy baby: This is a fun one. Begin lying on your back with your knees bent in at your chest. Begin lifting the soles of your feet towards the ceiling while keeping your knees deeply bent and wider than hip-width apart. With the soles of your feet pointing up, and your kneecaps pointing down toward the floor, reach up and grab the soles of your feet (use a strap if you can't reach), and then gently press down, like you're trying to bring your knees to the floor outside of your ribcage. If you want, you can begin gently rocking from side to side as you hold this, massaging out the spine. Breathe.
Check out pictures of this pose at http://www.flickr.com/photos/everydayelsie/406503543/in/set-72157594563196997/

6.) Cross leg forward bend: Start by sitting cross legged, except have your right foot in front of your left foot with the heels lined up. On an exhale, bending forward from your hips, come into a forward bend over the legs. If you have blocks or something comfortable to rest your head on, you can rest your head down as you hold the pose. Breathe as you hold it. If it's comfortable, see if you can hold it 30 seconds to a minute before switching sides.

7.) Lunges: Begin in table pose, on your hands and knees. Step the right foot forward between your hands. Slide the left leg back until you're feeling a comfortable stretch. There are a few variations of this: the easiest is to keep the back knee on the floor in the pose. You can have your hands on the floor, blocks (books, whatever), or if you want to add a bit of a back stretch, you can lengthen the spine up and lift the arms in the pose. Hold and breathe. Try for 30 seconds if you can, or longer if you'd like. Another variation that is strengthening as well as stretching is to lift the back knee. Keep the back knee high (don't let it sag down towards the floor), the leg long, and press out through the back heel as you hold it. Keep your spine long in this pose by pulling the shoulder blades away from the neck, down the back. To increase the challenge in this pose, you can lift up, lengthening the spine up and lifting the arms straight up outside of the ears. Make sure you're breathing as you hold it, and hold it only for as long as your comfortable. Come back to table pose to rest for a breath or two before taking it to the other side.

8.) Seated wide leg forward bend: Begin in staff pose, with your back straight and your legs straight out in front of you (so you make a 90 degree angle). If you have trouble sitting comfortably like this, put a blanket or blankets under your sit bones (the two knobby bones that you sit on) to elevate your pelvis. That will make it easier. Then separate the legs about 90 degrees (or slightly more if it's comfortable). Make sure the kneecaps are pointing up towards the ceiling and the thighs are active and rooted down. On an exhale, being very careful, begin folding from the hips forward over the center of your legs. You may find that a slight forward bend is enough, or even that sitting up in the pose is best for you. Take care not to go to far forward for your body. Hold this and breathe.
You can also make this a bit more passive, while also making it an inversion. I used to love to do this while I read. You'll need a wall you can lean against. You can do this lying on your bed, if you'd like. Start lying on your back, hips against the wall. Carefully slide your legs up the wall, starting on your side then rotating so the back of the legs are against the wall. You can put a pillow under your head or low back in this pose if you'd like. Now, separate the legs, letting them slide apart a comfortable distance as they still rest against the wall. Then simply relax into it, hold and breathe. You can read or just relax as you hold this--just be careful not to hold it to long or you'll be feeling it when you come out!! It's good to takes breaks occasionally to check in with your body before going back into the pose.

Keep in mind to always work within your particular limitations, listening to your body and moving with care. Yoga is generally a safe exercise activity but injuries can occur (mostly when practitioners are moving recklessly or not listening to their bodies) so move with care. Consult your doctor first if you are recovering from an injury, or suffer from high blood pressure.