Benefits of Hip Openers

You know the feeling when you’re body is tight, especially when you’re sitting at your desk or computer, or even while watching T.V.? This is essentially because your hips are less flexible. In fact, the more you sit, the more your hips become inflexible, due to shortening of the hip flexors at the front of the hip (these include psoas, rectus femoris and sartorisu), which causes tightening of the hip rotators (piriformis, obtruator internus and gamellus).  You feel more locked up and even weighted down because your hips are so tense.

 

One of the most common requests I get in class is “Please show me some hip openers today after class please.”  And then follows the wining and groaning, from having such tight hips!  I know we love to hate hip openers (well, most of my clients do at least), but our bodies truly crave them and after we do them, we feel better and more open after. Hip opening exercises can help counteract the sitting you do in your daily life and will help prevent injury and low back pain, as well as any other body movements.

 

Hip opening poses help to open and loosen the joints and muscles around the hips. They help to keep the pelvis and hips in proper alignment, preventing strain and tightness in that area. They also have been known to reduce stress and anxiety, so they’re not just physically beneficial, but emotionally as well.

 

There are SO many hip opening poses you can do to help open your hips too. Below, I am providing you a few of my favorite hip opening poses I give to my clients on a weekly basis. Many of these can be performed standing, seated or in a supine position.

 

For beginners, try:

• Child’s pose
• Cobbler’s pose
• Happy baby pose
• Warrior poses
• Triangle pose
• Low Lunge
• Downward Facing Frog

For Intermediate and advanced try:

• Eagle pose
• Pigeon
• Half moon pose
• Lotus
• Lizard
• High Lunge
• One-legged king pigeon pose into their practice for full hip opening benefits.

 

If you’re not use to doing these types of poses, at first, they will feel challenging; however, they offer many physical and emotional benefits. Try to perform these at least once a week and then progress as you feel your hips are becoming more flexible (you will start to notice a difference after a couple of weeks).

 

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