Yoga and hip openers go together like beaches and sunscreen. You can’t really enjoy one without the other.
And hardly ever will you come across a Yoga class that doesn’t feature at least one hip opening pose to help you release tension.
But before I show you some hip openers you can do at home, let’s first find out what exactly these poses do and why they are so good for you!
How do you open up your hips?
For people who are not used to the Yoga slang “opening your hips” might sound a little weird.
Well, it simply means to stretch out your hip muscles. Your hip has quite a few different muscles. 17, to be exact!
They are responsible for moving your hips and your legs. But with our mostly seated lifestyle, these muscles can get super tight, pulling on your lower back and even making you feel anxious!
That’s where hip opening Yoga comes in. These Yoga poses are all kinds of ways to stretch your hips.
What are the benefits of hip-opening yoga?
Honestly, there are countless benefits of hip openers and I could spend hours telling you all the details of why they’re great for you.
But because neither you or I have time for that, I will just tell you the general gist. It’s impressive enough, believe me.
Improve your overall health
Stretching out your hips, especially tight hip flexors, will actually improve your overall health!
Doesn’t sound convincing enough? What if I told you that your psoas is connected to things like fat storage, emotions and your sex-drive?
This might sound weird at first, but it has a very simple anatomical reason: Your hip flexors are directly connected to the central nervous system. Meaning that if they are out of balance, everything can get out of balance.
On the other hand, if you take good care of the psoas, your whole body will thank you for it. Awesome, right?
Improve your back health
Tight hips and lower back pain are closely related. If your psoas is tight, it pulls the lower back into an uncomfortable position: the “sway back”. This curve in your spine compresses the spine which again leads to back pain.
So if you suffer from sacroiliac pain, sciatica or something related, hip opening poses can bring you tons of relief.
Just make sure to check with your physician before throwing yourself into advanced poses!
Related: Yoga for lower back pain: How to find sweet relief
Release negative emotions
The psoas is our “fight-or flight-muscle”. So when you hear a Yoga teacher say that we store emotions in our hips, that is anatomically correct.
Historically, our hip flexors were responsible for two things:
- curling us up into a small ball to hide from a predator (contracting) or
- enabling us to run for our lives (loosening)
Do you already see how hip openers and emotions could be related?
As our body cannot really understand the difference between emotional and physical danger, the psoas will tighten and contract every time you encounter some kind of stress.
Related: How to lower cortisol levels with restorative Yoga
Stressful time at work? Your psoas will tighten. Arguing with your spouse? Better check your hip flexors!
This is why Yoga hip openers can bring about moments of emotional release. All the emotions that brought on your tight hips can come up again when you finally decide to stretch them out.
And, believe me, you’ll feel so much better after!So this is why yogis keep talking about all of the emotional benefits of hip openers in yoga. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Related: 10 easy Yoga poses for stress relief – Try them now!
Yoga hip opener poses
Alright, now that you know some of the great things hip stretches can do for you, let’s dive into the actual Yoga poses for opening your hips!
1. The low lunge
This hip opening yoga pose is perfect to safely stretch your hip flexors without having to worry too much about balance.
Simply come on all fours and then step one foot forward between your hands. Then straighten your upper body and make sure that both hip bones are pointing forward.
From here you can let your hips sink forward until you feel a nice stretch on your upper thigh and in the front of your hip.
Hold the stretch for a few breaths and then repeat it on the other side.
2. Figure four stretch
The figure four stretch is one of my favorite hip openers. First of all, you get to lie on your back when doing it. (You like it already, too, am I right? The lying hip openers are the most relaxing!)
And then it feels really good to stretch that outer side of the hip. You’ll see in a moment.
So you’re lying on your back, knees bent and feet on the floor. Then you cross your left ankle over the right knee. Now your legs should resemble the number “4”. Make sure to keep the left foot flexed.
In
Hold this pose for a few breaths and then repeat it on the other side.
Oh, and if you’re wondering how to prevent tight hips when sitting: Simply do the figure four stretch at your desk! Just keep in mind that you’ll have to change legs regularly.
Related: Yoga for upper back pain: 5 easy stretches that will bring relief
3. Reclined butterfly pose
The reclined butterfly is one of the poses anyone can do. It even made my list of yoga poses for inflexible people!
Related: I can’t do butterfly stretch – What now?
And just like the figure four stretch, you get to do it while lying down. It’s one of the most popular restorative yoga hip openers.
Ideally, you have a rolled up blanket or a bolster to lie back on.
Related: 12 of the best restorative yoga gifts for some yogic R&R
To start, sit down with your legs in a diamond shape, feet touching. Basically, the “normal” butterfly pose. Then put the bolster or blanket behind you and lay back on it.
Relax for a few breaths or up to a few minutes and let gravity stretch your hips!
4. Reclined hamstring stretch
Okay, so technically, this pose is called “Reclining-Hand-To-Big-Toe-Pose”. But as I know very few people who can actually reach their big toe with their hand in this pose while also keeping good form, I am calling it simply “reclined hamstring stretch”. I hope you forgive me.
Anyways, this pose is a great way to stretch an integral part of your hip extensors – your hamstrings.
Come to lay down on your back with your legs extended and your feet flexed. Now pull your right knee into your chest. Hold your right upper thigh with your hands and start straightening your right leg as far as possible.
If this seems to hard you could also wrap a yoga belt around your right foot instead of holding the leg with your hands.
Keep your left leg grounded on the floor and your back straight. Your lower back should not press into the floor!
Want to get more flexible for yoga the easy way? Check out the 14-day Toe touching challenge! It helps you touch your toes in 10 minutes a day or less.
Hold the stretch for a few breaths and then switch sides.
Related: How to use a yoga strap to improve your practice (+free PDF)
5. Hero pose
If you want to stretch your internal hip rotators, hero pose is a good choice. Simply come on all fours and bring your knees together. Your feet should be slightly further than hip distance apart.
Put a Yoga block between your feet and slowly sit back onto it. Hold for 10 breaths or however long is comfortable.
Related: Everything you need to know about Yoga blocks
(In case you don’t have Yoga props yet, have a look at these yoga block alternatives – you’ll surely have some of those around!)
If you want to make the stretch a little more intense, use your hands to rotate your thighs further inward. And if you want yet another challenge, you can try to remove the block.
Always make sure that your knees are okay with this though!
How often to practice these yoga hip openers?
So now that you know a few hip-opening Yoga asanas, it’s time for you to actually practice them. Your hips will thank you and you will reap the biggest benefits if you do them daily.
Just make it a habit to incorporate Yoga hip openers like figure four into your desk work or do the laying down stretches every evening in bed, before going to sleep.
After a week or two of doing them daily, you’ll already notice a difference.
Related: Yoga for better sleep: Enjoy bedtime yoga!
So go on, practice, and if this article was helpful to you, make sure to share it with someone!
Hi, I’m Leo, the Yogi behind Yogabullet. I’ve been practicing Yoga for over 10 years now.
My goal with this blog is to show people how Yoga can help anyone, no matter how fit they are, to love their body and their life more.
I’ve experienced the life-changing power of Yoga myself and made it my mission to share this with as many people as possible.
I am a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, which acknowledges the completion of a yoga teacher training with a Registered Yoga School (RYS).