Tightness in the hips is a typical problem for people around the world. It might be from sitting all day, or you might be built that way. Some people who regularly exercise still have tight hips.
However, to avoid injuries or increase your flexibility you can try hip-opening yoga poses. Meantime, preventing yoga injuries is so much important.
Yoga Poses for Tight Hips: Warm-up
It is crucial to warm up before doing some of the harder exercises, so as not to pull a muscle. You can start by doing the first 12 poses. These are the beginner hip-opening stretches that you should always start with.
35 Yoga Poses for Hip Opening
1. TABLETOP POSE
This pose is great for starting your practice because it helps you warm up the spine and the whole body.
Get down on your mat on your hands and knees. Gently push yourself down and flex your stomach. Now breathe deeply and hold the pose.
2. CAT POSE
Start in a tabletop position. Arch your back, like you’re trying to suck your stomach in. Hold your stomach tight and breathe.
This pose will allow you to stretch your back.
3. COW POSE
Cow pose is also for warming up the body and stretching out your back.
This posture is paired with a cat pose. Once you are in a tabletop position, you arch your back to the cat position. Then you push your stomach out and tilt your pelvis. Look forward here and breathe deeply. Repeat these positions a couple of times.
4. CROSS-LEGGED POSE
Sit down and extend your legs in front of your body. Now cross your legs at the shins. This is a great beginner pose for opening the hips.
It is gentle but still helps slowly to warm up the hip area.
5. COW FACE POSE
Sit down on your mat. Put one knee on the other. As you inhale lift one hand and bend it towards your back. Now try to reach your other hand back and grab the other hand if you can. If you can’t reach your hand grab your shirt or just hold your hand by your back. After a couple of minutes, repeat on the other side.
This is a great pose to stretch your upper body and shoulders.
6. HERO POSE WITH BLOCK
If you are looking for yoga stretches for the hips, this is a good posture. Start from a kneeling position and put a block between your legs. Sit your bottom on the block, which is between your leg. If you are flexible enough you can move the block out of the way and sit on the floor.
By holding the pose, you can stretch out your thighs.
7. RECLINING HERO POSE WITH BLOCK
If you feel like you mastered the hero pose, you can move on to this one. This is an extension of the hero pose. You move the bock out of the way and lay down with your leg bent.
It gives you a greater stretch and it can make you even more flexible.
8. CHAIR POSE
The chair pose looks as it sounds. You start from a standing position and bend your knees. It’s like, you are trying to sit down on an invisible chair. Press your knees together, toes touch. Reach out your arms and hold them high ear height.
This pose will warm up your body in no time and activate all of your muscles.
9. EAGLE POSE
Start standing up on your mat. Now you sit down in a chair pose as we mentioned earlier. Lift one leg and wrap it around the other. Now lift both arms up and bring the right arm under the left. If you can, touch your palm together. Hold the pose for a couple of seconds and breathe. After you did this, repeat on the other side.
This pose will stretch out your hips and shoulders too.
10. WARRIOR I POSE
This pose works all muscles and requires a little bit of focus. The warrior pose is a basic pose for every yoga practice. Stand on the beginning of your mat. Now step back with one foot. Slightly shift your back foot and bend your front leg. Your knee should be stacked over your ankle. Your back leg should be turned about degrees. Lift your arms and lunge into the pose.
By doing this pose you can stretch your hips, thighs, and calves. If you want to learn about the benefits of the pose, read this blog post.
11. WARRIOR II POSE
You can make a transition from warrior I to warrior II pose or start from the beginning. If you start from the beginning, like from the beginning of your mat, you should follow the same instructions as a warrior I. But here you turn your body to the side and look forward.
This is also a great position to stretch your lower body and hips.
12. STANDING FORWARD BEND
You should stand tall and begin to fold over. If you can touch the ground with your fingertips or palms. If this is too much for you, bend your knees as much as you like.
After Warrior I and II it is good to stretch your back and hamstring, to counter all the lower body stretching.
13. BUTTERFLY STRETCH
Sit down on your mat and take a breath. Bring the soles of your feet together. Your knees should fall to your sides. Sit with a straight spine and breath.
The butterfly pose will open up your hips and stretch them out. If this is too much for you can sit on a block.
14. YOGI SQUAT
This is a stretch that feels amazing! Sit down with bent legs as much as you can, without touching the floor. The knees should point at the ceiling and touch your palm together pushing your legs away from each other. This should look like a squatting position. Lengthen the spine and breathe.
This pose is also great for opening the hips and taking the pressure off your spine.
15. RECLINED BOUND ANGLE POSE
You can start with the butterfly pose. When you get into that pose lay down on your mat. If that is too much of a stretch for you, you can put a blanket or a block under you.
This pose will stretch out the muscles in the hips.
16. FROG POSE
Start from a tabletop position and slowly move your knees onto the sides. You push your groin into the ground and stop where you feel the stretch. Hold the pose and breathe.
This is a popular pose with yogis because it is often used for getting into the splits. This pose stretches out the inner thigh, allowing it to go deeper into the splits.
17. SUPINE FIGURE FOUR
Lay down on your mat and lift one leg. Bend the other leg and put it on your other leg. Your feet should be on your knee. Flex your feet and push your back down. You should feel a stretch in your hip flexors.
This stretch will help you loosen up your joints and hip flexors.
18. PIDGEON POSE
Start from a downward-facing dog. Lift one leg and swing it forwards to step into a lunge. Slowly release your knee to the ground. Your legs should be on the ground and the back leg should point backward. Push yourself up and hold the pose. Repeat that on the other side too.
This is an excellent pose for opening up the hip flexors.
19. DOUBLE PIDGEON
You start from a sitting position and bend your knee. You bend your other knee and put it on your other feet. Flex your feet and hold the pose.
It is such a small movement, but it manages to stretch out your hips on both sides.
20. LOW LUNGE
The low lunge will allow you to increase your flexibility in the hips. Step forward and lower your back knee to the floor. Slide the foot back until you feel a stretch.
Another fantastic pose for splits and hip opening.
21. CRESCENT LUNGE
Start from the top of the mat and take a step back. Lift your hands and tilt your pelvis forward. This is a similar pose to low lunge, just here you don’t put your knees down.
As the previous pose, this will also allow you to stretch out the hips and the hamstrings too.
22. CAMEL POSE
Kneel on your mat and straighten out your spine. Your knees should be hip-width apart. Roll your shoulders back and lift your chest. Lean back and if you can try and touch your feet. Keep in mind that you should always lift your chest and flex your thighs together.
By doing this pose you can stretch the whole front body and improve your posture. Is Yoga pant camel toe related to this camel pose?
23. DANCERS POSE
This is a back-bending posture. Stand in a mountain pose and bend your knee. Push that leg back to the buttocks and hold it with your hands. Now push your feet back and bend over a little bit. Keep your torso upright and focus on the point in front of you. If you want to know more about how to get into this pose, check out this link.
This is a back-bending posture and it will allow you to stretch out your front back and open up your hips.
24. EXTENDED HAND-TO-TOE POSE
Start again from a mountain pose. Extend one leg and grab your toes. Hold onto the toes and breathe. If it is hard to reach your toes, grab onto your shins or legs.
This is a good way to practice your balance and stretch out your hamstrings.
25. BRIDGE POSE
Lay down on your mat You should touch your feet with your toes to measure out the distance where your feet should be. Slowly lift your hips and tuck in your chest. You can hold your ribcage with your hands or straighten them out and put them underneath your shoulders.
This will help to stretch the whole front body including the hips too. Also, you can strengthen your muscles too.
26. HIP PRY
Lay down on your stomach and widen your arms to a T shape. Now bend one knee backward and try to touch the other side of your body.
The hip pry pose will allow you to stretch out your shoulders.
27. WIDE-ANGLE SEATED FORWARD BEND
The pose might be for a bit more advanced yogis, but don’t be afraid every beginner can do it too. You just need to remember it is not about doing the pose perfectly, you just need to reach your limit. Sit down and try to reach out. If you can bend towards the floor and try to put your hands or stomach on your mat.
This will stretch out your hamstring and glutes.
28. WIDE-LEGGED FORWARD BEND
Stand with a straight spine in a wide-legged stance. Slowly bend down and try to touch the floor with your hands. Do this with a straight spine.
It is a great way to stretch out your whole body and feel more relaxed.
29. HALF LORD OF THE FISHES POSE
Sit down on the mat and cross your legs. Put your right hand on your right hips and the other hand on the back. Look behind you and breathe in and out.
This pose will stretch out your spine and hip flexors.
30. GODDESS POSE
Stand with a wide stance. Your legs should be more than hip-length apart. Your toes should turn out and lower your hips. Lift your hands and bend your elbows. This is a great beginner’s hip opener, that everybody can do.
The pose will gently open up your body and hips.
31. WHEEL POSE
Lay on your back and start going into the bridge pose. Here you take things a little bit further. You should place your palms beside your head and slowly push your whole body up.
Not only will it open up your body, but it will also strengthen it.
32. WILD THING
Start from a tabletop pose and get into a side angle. Lift one leg and put it back, now turn over and go into an almost wheel pose.
The wild things will strengthen your whole body and they will open up your hips.
33. HAPPY BABY POSE
Lay on your back and bend your legs. Grab your outer foot and rock side to side.
This will stretch out the spine after a good exercise.
34. CHILD’S POSE
After a good stretch and strengthening routine, it is good to unwind. From a tabletop position, you gently sit back. Put your tights on your legs.
This pose will allow you to gently stretch out the spine and hips
35. RESTING POSE – CORPSE POSE
After a good yoga routine, everybody deserves a nice resting position. Just lay on your back and spread your legs and arms. Breathe deeply and stay here for a couple of minutes.
The resting pose is for connecting to your breath and letting the practice to sink in.
Conclusion
Tight hip flexors can cause you pain or if left untreated a serious injury. Unfortunately, people with tight hips are more prone to injury. Read more about the causes of tight hips here. Regular yoga stretches for hips and exercise can help you fix this issue. All the above hip-opening yoga poses are beginner-friendly, so everybody can try them out.
If you think we left out a good yoga pose for hip opening, let us know in the comments! Enjoy with other yoga poses.
