Many people suffer from tight hips, from those who have a sedentary lifestyle to professional athletes. This feeling of tightness across the hips is due to tension around the hip flexors which are a group of muscles at the top of the thighs. Yoga is a great way to loosen up your hip flexors, and in this post I will go into details about my top 5 yoga poses which have helped my tight hips. If you would like the follow-along video, you can check it out here.
1 – Reclining Half Pigeon
Begin on your back, lift up your right leg and place your right ankle onto your left knee. Then grab your left thigh and pull towards you gently until you feel a light stretch. Make sure to keep your tailbone grounded throughout the stretch. This pose has many benefits, including stretching the thighs, groins and stimulating abdominal organs. Make sure to swap and stretch both sides.
2 – Reclining Pigeon Twist
From the reclining half pigeon pose, move into a twist by laying one foot onto the floor and guiding the other leg over your body. This pose is not only great for your hips, but it also gently stretches your back.
3 – Happy Baby Pose
To get into this pose, grab the insides of both feet and pull them upwards until you feel a light stretch. This pose gently stretches the inner groin and the lower back.
4 – Seated Twist
To get into this pose, twist one leg over the other and hug it in with the opposite arm. Place the other hand onto the ground for support. This is another great pose for hip flexors.
5 – Forward Lunge
For this last pose, get into a deep lunge position. Place one of your knees on the floor, and ensure that your knee is over your ankle. This stretch is a great all rounder – if you are struggling to get too deep, only do what is comfortable for you and over time your flexibility will increase.
Conclusion
Practice there poses frequently and you will see an improvement over time. Remember to breathe deeply when doing yoga, and if you would like to follow along watch my youtube video here.
Norwich Latin Dance 