10 Yoga Poses to Open Tight Hips: Improve Flexibility and Relieve Tension
Since I started Yoga, I have significantly improved my mobility, strength, and flexibility, as well as become spiritually connected to my Body and its sensations.
Picture of me in Mermaid Pose
I have been actively healing and strengthening the muscles around my old knee and elbow injuries, triggering *Growing Pains* around my hips and leg.
The whole Body is connected, and yoga near me has never been more accessible since doing my practice online. Being a Yoga Body Coach has helped me discover different Yoga Poses that help open the tight hips that I started to experience daily.
These 10 Yoga Poses open Tight hips and are excellent for people who have desk jobs and sit all day. It is great for runners known for their tight hip flexors and any athlete who forgets their daily stretch and needs to increase their entire range of motion of the hips, joints, etc.
Take your time holding each pose from 15 to 60 seconds. If you are lucky, you will notice your muscles let go and relax and feel the emotional and spiritual release of any pain, fears, or ego you may have stored in your Glutes and Hips.
1. Easy Pose
Picture of me in Easy Pose
I begin my Yoga Flow Sequence in a Seated Pose, or Easy Pose, to prepare my Body physically and spiritually. This meditative posture creates a neutral spine and engages the abdominals and back muscles. It stretches the muscles on the outside hips, keeping my Pelvis Neutral. The hip flexors help maintain hip flexion.
When trying this pose, you may feel engagement in the thigh muscles and your quadriceps, hip abductors, and gluteus maximus stretch.
Start by sitting with your legs extended, then bring your feet towards you and cross them. Rest and place your hands on your knees, palms up, and thumb, touching your forefinger in chin mudra while relaxing your hips, shoulders, and knees. Tilt your pelvis back slightly to sit on your sitting bones, and extend your crown to the sky.
2. Butterfly Pose
Picture of me in Butterfly Pose
I transition into Butterfly Pose, which opens my hips and stretches the groin. This pose improves my ankle flexibility and awareness, which promotes proper balancing poses. This pelvic soother stretches the inner thighs, ankle muscles and lower legs.
You will feel your hip flexors, quadriceps, and adductors stretch when trying this pose. Your fibularis muscles are stretching near the feet.
From the Seated pose, bring the soles of your feet together close to your pelvis, relax your hips and allow your knees to open towards the floor. Take hold of your feet with your hands, inhale and lengthen your spine, dropping your shoulders. Exhale and fold forward, aiming your heart towards your feet as you keep your chest open and spine long. You can take this pose forward by pushing down on your knees with your elbows.
3. Garland pose
Picture of me In Garland Pose
I transition to the Garland pose, which Opens my Hips further and stretches my groin and lower back. This pose improves my ankle and knee stability, as well as lengthens the spine, making it neutral.
When trying this pose, you will feel your glutes, calves and lower back stretch. Your upper back muscles are engaged, and your feet are grounded in all four points.
From the Butterfly pose, you can jump on your feet or stand up one foot in front of the other and naturally squat down when the root edge of the spine is almost touching the ground beneath you. Bring your hands together in prayer, and press your elbows against the inner edges of your knees or thighs. Keep your head neutral and crown up to the sky.
4. Low Lunge
Picture of me in Low Lunge
Now, on my feet, I move into a Low Lunge, where I feel the opening in my outer and inner thighs and my hip flexors. My back knee is on the floor with my front foot forward. A modification to the original Crescent Lunge, it is a great antidote when sitting too much. As a runner who enjoys High-Intensity Interval Training, I want this pose as it strengthens the muscles that power my stride and stretches my hip flexors.
From Garland Pose, twist to the Left and place your back knee on the floor with your front foot forward. Uncurl the toes and move the hips forward to ensure your pelvis is square with the Body. You can Place your hand on top of your knee or the floor.
5. Wide Angle Lunge
Picture of me in Wide Angle Lunge
Still, in the Lunge position, I place my hand on my inner thigh or knee and press down, looking over my shoulder. This Wide-Angle Lunge is perfect for stretching the inner thighs and hip flexors, engaging the glutes while stretching the outer hip of the back leg.
You can hold this pose for however long it feels, allowing the lower abdominals to stretch and your shoulders and head to relax.
6. Corkscrew
Picture of me in Cockscrew Pose
Corkscrew is one of my favorite poses to stretch my quadriceps. This pose is a simple transition from the Wide-Angle Lunge, stretching the back legs, quadricep, and knee muscles. This pose engages the hip extensors while stretching the hip flexors. It also engages the hamstrings when flexing the knee and the quadriceps as you kick your leg back into your hand or glutes.
To get into this position, return to a neutral low lunge, take the hand on the knee in the wide-angle lunge, and grab the back foot. Place the other hand on the mat. Continue to look behind you. You can kick back on the foot, engage the quadricep, or pull the foot into the glute to stretch the quadricep and hip flexors instead.
7. Pigeon
Picture of me in Pigeon Pose
Pigeon has become one of my regular poses, as I developed a bit of sciatic pain due to my past knee injury. My leg muscles are constantly building up again, and growing pains tend to shoot down my leg and through my glutes. However, this pose deep stretches the hips, buttocks, and thighs.
From the Corkscrew, lay your back leg down and place your front knee and outer thigh on the mat before you. You will feel your hip flexors engage the more you try and square leg 90 degrees. Your glutes, along with your deep six external rotators, will stretch. If desired, you can let it all go and bring your forehead to the ground before you.
8. Full Split
Picture of me in Full Split Pose
A Vertical Split, which I am still working on mastering, stretches my inner hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes. This stretch, particularly in my adductors, often assists me in my running stride and the flexibility of my squats and lunges.
To get into this pose, from Pigeon, leave the back leg as is and extend your front leg in front of you. Hold your torso tall, crown to the sky, with your hands by your side or on the ground.
9. Cow Face Pose
Picture of me in Cow Face Pose
Often used in Yin Yoga, Cow Face Pose focuses on stretching the whole Body. I often experience tight shoulders, which quickly lead to tight hips. Thus, this seated pose stretches the outside of my glutes, hips and shoulders, engaging key postural muscles to counteract slouching or rounding forward.
To reach perfect alignment in this pose, from Full Split, fold your back leg in front of you and stack it over your bottom leg. Your knees should be stacked in the middle while your hands reach toward each other as you grab your fingertips. Try and keep your spine neutral, squeezing your elbows towards the center.
If you desire a challenge, you can also forward fold, as you exhale, to lower your chest towards your thighs.
10. Happy Baby Pose
Picture of me in Happy baby Pose
Happy Baby pose often brings joy and excitement to my inner child, as my lower back relaxes, and glutes and hamstrings stretch. It is a freeing pose that liberates your root and sacral chakra to the sky. As my emotions lighten in this pose, it extends the outer hips and upper glute muscles.
Begin by lying on your back, bringing your knees to your chest. As you inhale, grab the outside soles of your feet and point them to the sky. Exhale and open your knees to the side of your torso, flexing your feet and flattening your lower back and whole spine to the ground. You can work to bring your knees closer to the ground and should focus on keeping your shoulder blades grounded.
Feeling Better?
Over time, you will begin to move deeper into the full expression of these poses, and if you practice daily, you will have a more profound sense and connection to your body, needs, and spiritual well-being.
Connect with me for a 1:1 Online Yoga Flow Session, and let’s deepen your practice together!
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