Yoga
day 1 / 90: practiced 75 minutes — did plough, foward fold, worrier, danced at walmart + cold bath
Absolutely! 🧘 Hip-opening yoga is wonderful for improving flexibility, mobility, and reducing stiffness from sitting.
The key is to stretch three areas of your hips: the front (hip flexors), inner thighs (groin/adductors), and outer hips (glutes and rotators).
6 great yoga poses for opening your hips
1. Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana)
Beginner
Targets: Inner thighs and groin.
Sit with the soles of your feet touching, knees out to the sides. Straighten your back and gently lean forward from your hips. Let your knees relax naturally rather than pushing them down.
Hold 30–60 seconds.
4 bra yogaövningar som mjukar upp höfterna | iform.se
2. Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
Beginner
Targets: Front of the hips and hip flexors.
Place one foot forward with the knee over the ankle. Rest your other knee on a padded surface. Gently tuck your tailbone and shift your hips forward without arching your lower back.
Hold 30–45 seconds per side.
Tight Hips? Try These 11 Hip-Opening Stretches
3. Reclined Figure Four (Eye of the Needle)
Beginner
Targets: Outer hips and glutes.
Lie on your back, bend both knees, and cross your right ankle over your left thigh. Reach behind the left thigh and gently draw it toward your chest. Keep the crossed foot flexed.
Hold 30–60 seconds per side.
8 Child's Pose Variations to Deepen the Stretch — Alo Wellness Club | The Blog
4. Wide-Knee Child's Pose
Targets: Inner hips and lower back.
Kneel, spread your knees comfortably apart, keep your big toes together, then sit back toward your heels and extend your arms forward.
Hold 45–60 seconds.
Garland Pose with Hands in Namaste
5. Garland Pose (Malasana)
Targets: Groin, hips, and ankles.
Stand with your feet a little wider than hip-width, toes slightly outward, and squat comfortably. Bring your palms together at your chest. Sit on a yoga block if needed.
Hold 20–40 seconds.
How to Do Lizard Pose: Strengthen Your Legs and Boost Your Hip Mobility - Body By Yoga
6. Lizard Pose (Utthan Pristhasana)
Targets: Hip flexors, inner thighs, and groin.
From a low lunge, move your hands to the inside of your front foot. Keep the back knee on the mat and gently lower your hips. Stay on your hands rather than forcing your forearms to the floor.
Hold 30–45 seconds per side. More challenging.
Try this 10-minute hip-opening routine
Your practice
0 of 7 completed
Warm up with gentle hip circles
1 min
Butterfly Pose
1 min
Low Lunge
2 min total
Reclined Figure Four
2 min total
Wide-Knee Child's Pose
1 min
Lizard Pose
2 min total
Garland Pose
1 min
Reset routine
Important: Warm up first, breathe slowly, and aim for a gentle stretching sensation, never sharp pain or pinching in the hip or knee. You don't need to force your body into a deeper position.
Cleveland Clinic
One question: Are you trying to open your hips for flexibility (like doing the splits), for deep squatting, or to relieve tightness from sitting? The best yoga poses differ depending on your goal.
Opening your hips through yoga can have some wonderful psychological benefits, especially when you combine stretching with slow breathing, mindfulness, and relaxation.
One interesting connection is that how you hold tension in your body can influence how you feel mentally. Releasing physical tension may help you feel calmer, more comfortable, and less guarded.
Research supports yoga's benefits for stress, anxiety, and mood, although it hasn't established that hip-opening poses have unique psychological effects compared with other yoga poses.
PubMed+1
7 potential psychological benefits
Reduced stress: Gentle stretching and breathing may help you settle down after a stressful day.
Less anxiety: Staying with comfortable physical sensations can provide a point of focus when your thoughts are racing.
Emotional awareness: Holding a position quietly gives you an opportunity to notice sadness, frustration, joy, or other feelings.
Greater mindfulness: You practice observing sensations without immediately judging them.
Improved mood: Feeling physically comfortable and completing a relaxing yoga practice may improve your sense of well-being.
Greater self-trust: Learning to distinguish a healthy stretch from discomfort helps you respect your body's limits.
Practicing acceptance: Instead of forcing your hips to open, you learn to work patiently with the range of motion you have today.
I particularly like the connection to Stoicism: you can practice noticing a sensation before adding a judgment to it.
For example, during butterfly pose:
Sensation: "There's tension in my inner thighs."
Automatic judgment: "I'm too stiff. I'm bad at this."
Deliberate response: "This is a sensation. I can breathe, soften, or adjust."
That's a small exercise in mindfulness, patience, and emotional regulation.
Do the hips store emotions or trauma?
You might hear yoga teachers say that hip-opening poses release stored fear, sadness, or trauma.
There's an important distinction:
What we know: Stress can affect muscle tension, posture, pain sensitivity, and breathing.
What people experience: Some feel unexpectedly emotional, relieved, or peaceful during deep stretches.
What hasn't been established: Emotions or traumatic memories being physically stored in the hip muscles and released by stretching them.
The Guardian
A 5-minute practice for emotional relaxation
Yoga for Stress Relief: 5 Restorative Yoga Poses to Try | Right as Rain by UW Medicine
2 minutes — Reclined Butterfly
Lie down, bring your soles together, and support your knees with pillows. Breathe gently and notice any areas of tension.
Young slim woman stretching on a yoga mat by a large window in a bright room.
2 minutes — Child's Pose
Relax your shoulders, soften your belly, and allow each exhale to be comfortable and unforced.
1 minute — Savasana
Lie still and ask yourself: "What sensations and emotions do I notice right now?"
Keep every stretch comfortable; you don't need strong sensations or an emotional release for the practice to be beneficial.
The deeper psychological skill is learning that you can experience discomfort without immediately resisting it, judging it, or needing to change it. That skill can carry over from yoga into everyday life.
7 ways yoga can increase happiness
1. It reduces stress. Slow breathing and gentle movement can help your body shift away from a state of tension and toward relaxation. You may feel calmer even when your problems haven't disappeared.
2. It improves your mood. Physical activity can influence brain systems involved in emotion and reward. Research suggests yoga can reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, although the strength of evidence varies.
NCCIH+1
3. It interrupts overthinking. Concentrating on your breath, balance, and posture gives your attention something besides worries and repetitive thoughts to focus on.
4. It makes your body more comfortable. Releasing muscular tension, improving mobility, and developing strength can make everyday movement more enjoyable.
5. It develops emotional awareness. You practice noticing discomfort, impatience, and frustration without immediately reacting. This can help you respond more deliberately in everyday situations.
6. It can improve sleep. Yoga may improve sleep quality, which can support mood, energy, and emotional resilience.
NCCIH
7. It builds self-trust. Repeatedly practicing something challenging, noticing improvement, and learning your limits can develop confidence and a sense of accomplishment.