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mbg Spirituality & Relationships Editor
mbg Spirituality & Relationships Editor
Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Editor, and a registered yoga instructor. She received her bachelor’s in broadcasting and mass communication from SUNY Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York.
Image by Sassy Gregson-Williams
July 20, 2024
It’s estimated that every one in 10 adults1 experiences chronic hip pain, with that pain increasing as we age. This can, of course, lead to difficulty with everyday movements like sitting down and standing up, walking, or even going down a flight of stairs.
As a yoga teacher (who deals with stiff hips) myself, it’s practically a given that students ask for hip stretches before we start class. Over the years, I’ve found there’s a handful of simple moves that truly work wonders on opening up the hips, lengthening the hip flexors, and generally keeping the entire area limber.
So whether you want to mitigate the effects of sitting, improve your posture, or decrease tightness in your hips, here are three go-to poses I recommend doing at least a few times a week.
Squats are excellent for stretching and toning the low body, and garland pose is no exception. This posture stretches the thighs, hips, and groin, and even opens up the chest. It also strengthens the ankles and can help improve balance.
When we spend a lot of time sitting, our hips are often internally rotating, which can contribute to generally crouched posture. With the external rotation provided by garland pose, we’re helping to open up the pelvis.
Here’s how to do it:
- Begin standing with your feet a little wider than hip-width apart, and the hands at heart center.
- Bend your knees, pivot your toes out slightly, and slowly lower all the way down into a squat.
- Bring your elbows inside your knees, keeping your hands in prayer.
- With your arms as close to parallel to the floor as you can get them, use your elbows to gently press the knees open.
- Keep your chest lifted, shoulder blades down and back, spine straight, and hips down toward the ground.
- Hold for a few breaths and exit by standing back up.
Pigeon pose
Image by Claire Grieve / Contributor
Pigeon pose is a must in my yoga classes, as it tends to be a fan favorite with students. And for good reason! The front leg gets the benefits of externally rotating and opening that side of the hip, while the back leg lengthens as you stretch the hip flexor.
And btw, if pigeon pose isn’t quite working for your body, a figure-4 stretch offers many of the same benefits.
Here’s how to do it:
- From a downward dog position, step your right foot forward to meet your hands.
- Bend your knee and bring it in line with your right arm. Bring your right foot to the left side of your body, and allow your shin to rest on the ground as close to parallel with the front of your mat as possible.
- Lift your chest, keeping your hips in one line. Have your front foot flexed to protect your knee, and gentle pressure on the top of your back foot to engage the back leg.
- Here, you have the option slowly lower your torso to the ground so it folds over your right leg, and/or bring your forehead to the mat.
- Feel for the hip on the side of the front leg opening outward, and the hip on the side of the back leg extending and lengthening.
- Hold for as many breaths as you’d like, then come back up. Return to downward dog, then repeat on the opposite side.
Bridge pose
Bridge pose is truly a godsend if you do a lot of sitting. When we’re sitting, the hip flexors are stuck in flexion (with the torso and thighs form a 90-degree angle at the hips). In bridge pose, we’re actively lengthening those hip flexors and reducing the effects of sitting.
Here’s how to do it:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Your feet should be hip-width apart and parallel. Your pelvis should be neutral.
- Push your feet into the floor to activate your glutes and slowly lift your hips up towards the ceiling. While the bottom part of your rib cage will lift off of the floor, you want to focus on keeping your torso still as you open through the front of the hips.
- Here, you have the option to take supported bridge, placing a block at a comfortable height under your sacrum.
- Feel for your knees stretching away from your hips, lengthening the fronts of the thighs.
- Hold at the top and then slowly back to the ground, vertebrae by vertebrae.
The takeaway
As a word to the wise, there’s no one pose that can magically fix the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. For compounded benefits, remember to take breaks from sitting, always pay attention to your posture, and stay consistent in your stretching routine.
But I will say this: if you’re in need of quick relief from stiff hips, knocking out these three poses in just a few minutes will instantly have you feeling more loose.