A lot of us spend a good portion of our days in a seated position. Whether we’re commuting, sitting at our desks, eating meals, or bingeing Netflix, we’re in a seat. The problem is, spending so much of our time seated isn’t great for you and can cause hip pain, sciatica pain, and some serious discomfort.
Sitting too much means that our hips are in flexion for really long periods of time. That’s a fancy way of saying that the muscles around our hips are shortening more often than they naturally should and that shortening can cause tight hips.
Hip pain can range from mild to intense and lucky for you, yoga stretching is some of the best ways to relieve hip pain quickly and safely.
What Yoga Equipment Do You Need To Get Started?
Read Our Guide: Yoga Equipment For Beginners
Table of Contents
Common Causes of Hip Pain
Tight hips can be a problem that develops just by doing everyday things like carrying a heavy bag on one side, sitting or standing for long periods, or doing any physical activity with poor form.
When all of those factors tighten the hip muscles, it can cause hip pain that can manifest in a lot of different ways. Sometimes tight hips can also cause poor posture and lower back pain.
Whether you experience simple inflexibility, pinching feelings, or something more (like tendonitis or arthritis), the beginner yoga sequence below can help bring some hip pain relief!
Yoga Poses for Tight Hips or Hip Pain
All of the yoga poses provided below are great for beginners and should be fairly simple to perform.
To make your life easier, we’ve divided the article to standing poses and reclined poses.
Before you start, we suggest having two blocks nearby for some support 🙂
Standing Yoga Poses for Hip Pain
1. Mountain Pose with Block | 5 breaths
Mountain pose helps build balance and reminds you to engage your core. It is a very effective yoga pose to start your practice with because it is beginner-friendly and allows for complete breath and centering.
- Place a block between your thighs and squeeze it.
- As you press your thighs into the block, also use them to press the block slightly back (try not to move your legs or hips).
- Take deep breaths and try to relax the mind
2. Mountain Pose with Step Downs | 5 Breaths per side
Mountain pose helps strengthen your gluteus medius, which helps stabilize your pelvis. It is an approachable and relaxing pose for most.
- This time, place a block on the ground.
- Put your left foot on top of it and your right foot on the ground.
- Focus on keeping that neutral alignment of your pelvis here as you add in some simple movement.
- Firm your left outer hip (your gluteus medius) and slowly lift your right foot to the height of your left.
- While keeping the neutral pelvis and engaged outer hip, slowly step your right foot back down.
- Repeat 4 times (5 total) then switch sides.
3. Mountain Pose with Leg Lifts | 5 breaths per side
Mountain pose with leg lifts helps strengthen your hip flexors and improve balance.
- Put your block off to the side and stand in Mountain Pose.
- Shift your weight onto your left leg while firming your left outer hip, just like the last exercise.
- Slowly lift your right leg so that your knee is directly out from your hip and your ankle’s right below your knee (a 90-degree angle).
- Hold there for a full deep breath and then release. Repeat 4 times (5 total) then switch sides.
Reclined Yoga Stretches for Hip Pain
4. Fire Hydrants | 6 breaths per side
The fire hydrant pose helps increase your range of motion in the hip joints.
- Come to a table pose.
- Keeping the knee bent, lift your right knee off the ground and start to make small circles from the right hip.
- Gradually move from smaller to bigger circles and then switch directions.
- After 6 deep breaths, switch sides.
5. Boat Pose | 3 – 5 breaths
Boat pose is a great pose to build core strength while also strengthening the hip flexors.
- Come to a seat with your feet flat on the ground, and your knees pointed up.
- Sit up tall, so your spine is nice and long then stretch your fingertips forward.
- To go deeper, keep your knees where they are as you float your feet off the ground.
- Eventually, you’ll be able to bring your legs into a 90-degree angle.
- You can also head straight there then bring your hands to the backs of your thighs for some added support.
6. Seated Twist | 5 – 10 breaths per side
This yoga pose is a great stretch for the hips and spine.
- From a seated position with your legs out long in front of you, place your right foot on the ground outside of your left leg.
- Bring your right hand to the ground behind your back, and use it to help keep your back upright, lengthening your spine.
- Then, hug your right knee with your left forearm as you twist your torso to the right.
- As an option, the head/gaze can work its way over the right shoulder to take the twist into the upper spine.
- If you want to go deeper, hook your left elbow outside of your right knee.
- For tight hips, you can modify by sitting on the edge of a blanket. Hold for 5-10 breaths then switch sides.
7. Bridge Pose | 5 – 8 breaths
Bridge pose stretches (and lengthens) the hip flexors, strengthens the legs, and extends the spine.
- Starting on your back with a block nearby.
- Make sure your feet are underneath your knees then put the block between your thighs.
- With your arms long beside your body, palms facing down, start to squeeze into the block.
- Continue to squeeze the block as you lift your hips off the ground, coming into bridge pose.
- Hold the pose for 5 to 8 breaths then slowly release down and rest.
8. Reclined Figure Four | 5 – 10 breaths per side
This pose stretches the piriformis, glutes, and lower back, and relieves tension in the muscles surrounding the lower back.
- Start on your back the same way that you did for bridge pose.
- This time, put your right ankle on top of your left knee, making sure the foot completely clears the knee.
- Flex your right foot and gently press your right thigh away from you.
- If that feels ok and you want to go deeper, thread your right hand through the center of your legs and bring your left hand to meet it on the back of your left thigh.
- Then, lift your left leg to a 90-degree angle, drawing your figure four shape toward your chest.
- Hold for 5-10 breaths then gently release and switch sides.
9. Reclined Cobbler’s Pose | 10 breaths
This is a nice and relaxing stretch for the hips and the groin area.
- Lie on your back.
- Bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees open out to the sides.
- If your hips feel tight, place a block under each knee for support.
- Hold this pose for at least 10 breaths, then very gently bring the knees back together.
Yoga Props That Can Help with Hip Pain
Yoga for your hips does not need grand equipment to be effective. Yet, you can use the help of a couple of props to reduce or even eliminate hip pain.
Check out these products you can buy to help relieve hip pain:
Massage Gun
Long hours of exercise often result in muscle knots. If you experience hip pain, a massage gun helps you ease it.
A massage gun relieves muscle strain and fatigue from workouts or general hip pain. This handheld massage gun from Amazon promotes blood circulation. It relaxes deep tissue and releases discomfort and pain. The handy tool is lightweight and comes with storage that is easy to carry when you are on the go.
If you are looking for a portable massager that is perfect for everyone, this ergonomic pocket-sized massage gun makes 3, 000 percussion per minute. It relaxes tight muscles and minimizes muscle stiffness.
Foam Roller
A foam roller is a helpful workout buddy to reduce soreness and promotes muscle repair. This extra-firm foam roller helps prevent muscle injury during your yoga practice. It is great for spinal stabilization, balance, and positioning during strengthening activities.
If you want an all-in pack, this 5-in-1 Foam Roller Set from Amazon offers a complete kit for your workout. The set has a triple-zone massage roller, stick, stretch strap, massage ball, and a double lacrosse ball.
Pillow
After a long and tiring day, keep your hips at rest while you sleep. This Memory Foam Pillow from Amazon does wonders against hip pain. It alleviates hip stiffness and promotes hip alignment.
You can also check out this cervical pillow for shoulder pain relief. This soft sleeping buddy supports and aligns the head, neck, and shoulders. If used under the hips, it can help with hip pain.
Have you tried a private yoga class before?
Our team of highly trained, knowledgeable yoga instructors can work with you to help reduce your hip pain!
Online private yoga classes are now available! Experience amazingly effective yoga classes with top-tier yoga instructors. On your schedule, from the comfort of your home, designed around your goals. Try it today!
We specialize in designing personalized private yoga lessons for beginners of all kinds, so reach out to us today to discuss how private yoga lessons can help you!
Comments
Hip flexors
When you are saying hip flexor muscle…which one are we talking about precisely? You say its psoas/illiopsoas, however simply with the knee flexed you'll be more likely to stretch rec fem, since it crosses both the knee and hip, where psoas doesnot.
via
thank you for the article, this is really what I've been looking for for a long time. Thanks to you, I got rid of my pain and began to feel much better and happier, thank you