The hips are the emotional center for most of us. This is where we store emotions or thoughts we don’t quite know what to do with. 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.” Not only can tight hips negatively affect the mind, but they can also lead to physical problems (especially later in life).
The good news is that yoga can help! This week’s featured classes will help alleviate back pain, circulation problems, mobility and joint issues, stress and emotional problems all due to tight hips. In addition to help in alleviating physical problems, opening up those hips can really help in achieving a deeper practice.
- Yin/Yang for the Hips with Jason Crandell: This practice has 3 parts: an opening, 15 minute yin sequence that opens the front of the hips, thighs and anterior spine; a challenging 30 minute, nonstop flow that emphasizes hip and hamstring opening; a 15 minute closing yin sequence that releases tension in your outer/posterior hips. If you’re looking for a combination of deep, slow openers and a strong, steady practice, look no further.
- Strong and Open Hips & Hammies Flow with Amy Ippoliti: This creative steady flow will take you on a hip and hamstring opening adventure. How to open up? Tone and strengthen the hips and quads first followed by juicy stretches. Short on time but still want the feeling of the yoga buzz? Look no further. You have arrived. Props needed: A Blanket. Optional props: Strap, Two Blocks
- Outer Hip Love with Maria Apt: Work the outer hips to help with balance and structural stability of all joints in the lower body. In this well rounded class, learn how to keep the outer hips stable, especially in balancing standing poses. Props: Three Blankets, One Strap, One Block
- 2nd Chakra Hip Opening with Claire Missingham: This class focuses on the 2nd Chakra with a hip opening focus. You will experience standing asanas that open the hips and shoulders, then try out variations of Pigeon and Janu Sirsasana to get the creativity flowing in the 2nd Chakra area of the hips and sacrum. The class closes with longer held seated asanas and a couple of funky hip inversions. This will not only allow us to gradually reduce tension in the physical body, but will also help us to release energetic and emotional blockage. Starting with the physical structure and gradually moving to the more subtle effects of the practice. Props: 1-2 Blocks
- Disco in Your Hips with Giselle Mari: We all need a little more disco in our hips, although maybe we’d settle for more space and relief. No need to pull out your dancing shoes! Just grab your mat, a couple of blocks, and a strap and let’s journey into some accessible hip openers that will bring you much happiness and stress relief. Props: Two blocks, One strap, One Blanket
- Hips! with Dice Iida-Klein: This 30:1 practice is all about our emotional center…the HIPS! Focusing on opening the front, side and back of our hips, we use anjaneyasana, warrior 2, parsvakonasana, pigeon prep, variations of table top, ardha matsyandrasana and a gomukhasana variation to accomplish our journey into clarity. Enjoy my fellow yogis and smile.
