Not only can tight hips negatively affect one’s practice, but they can also lead to physical problems (especially later in life). The good news is that some studies show how yoga can alleviate back pain, circulation problems, mobility and joint issues, stress, and emotional problems due to tight hips. In addition to helping alleviate physical problems, opening up those hips can really help achieve a deeper practice.
Our very own Stephanie Snyder calls hips “the junk drawer of your house. Cleaning out that drawer lightens your spiritual load, making room for prana to flow through the entire pelvic region and allowing breath and vitality to move freely throughout your body.”
This week’s featured classes will really help to open up the hips:
To get you started without searching, we’re highlighting six classes in a variety of styles, levels and durations that are designed to help loosen and open up those tight hips:
- Evening Hip Opening with Amy Ippoliti: A restful practice to open the hips and root the femurs whenever you need to ground your energy and especially sweet just before bed. 1 or 2 blankets, 1 or 2 blocks, and strap are helpful.
- Prepare Hips for Deeper Hip Opening Postures with Tiffany Cruikshank: A 30 minute continuous flow class with less instruction and a focus on hip opening. This class can be done repetitively to prepare the hips for deeper hip opening postures such as lotus and foot behind the head.
- Hip-hip-hooray with Felicia Tomasko: Find inner freedom in this practice working with the deep inner core of the body through a sequence of supine hip openers. As we dive into the breath, we wake up and go deeper and deeper into the different levels of the inner body.
- Strengthen & Open Hips with Dice Iida-Klein: If you’re looking to strengthen and open the hips via some heat, this is the class for you my fellow yogis. A nice wrist and hip warm-up is followed by Surya Namaskar A and a C variation to open the front body and warm up the back body. The main portion of this practice encompasses a few strong standing sequences followed by a sequence involving Ardha Matsyendrasana (half lord of the fishes pose) to further dive into your hips and low back. No backbends in this class yogis!
- 15 Minute Hip Opener with Tara Judelle: A 15 minute segment designed to keep your hips open. Includes pigeon prep, double pigeon (agnistambasana), and lunge/thigh stretch.
- Hip Opening Flow with Seane Corn: Hip openers galore!! This strong, fluidly paced class focuses on opening the hips using a creative standing sequence that includes warrior 2, reverse warrior, triangle, extended side angle, goddess, hand to ankle, extended side angle wrap and many other diverse asanas linked together to create heat and elasticity in the hip joints. Following the standing sequence we will drop into a long floor sequence that includes low lunges into pigeon allowing time for deep release. We will continue with wheel, a supine (on your back) spinal and hip release sequence and then cobblers pose to double pigeon. The class will conclude with a shoulder stand and a long savasana. This is a challenging class and is recommended for students with experience in vinyasa or flow style yoga.
