My poor, locked-up hips.

TurdlePwr · 4 months

People with tight hips usually sit on a block to help.

If pigeon is hard try pigeon prep on you back

Vrikshasana · 4 months

Props are your best friends.

Start by laying on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Loop a long belt around the ball of one foot and draw it up, lengthening and straightening your leg. Keep your back, shoulders, and neck on the floor. The important thing is not to get the sole of your foot parallel to the ceiling, but to keep your leg long and straight. Don't lock your knee.

Work with your breath, gently drawing your upper leg toward your belly with every exhale and relaxing your hold on your leg with every inhale. Do this for five breaths.

Still keeping your belt looped around your foot and your leg drawn toward your belly, begin to arc your leg outward, keeping both hips firmly on the ground. Support your leg with your belt, and allow your bent leg to wing out as a counterbalance. Hold this for three to five breaths.
Draw your legs back to center and cross the ankle of the formerly-straight leg across the knee of the bent leg. Send the same arm as the formerly-straight leg through the hole created by your formerly-straight leg against your bent leg. (If your left leg was the one being stretched, send your left arm through the hole. Sorry for the over-complication there.)

Clasp your hands around either the back of your knee or around the front of your knee, whichever is more comfortable. Without lifting your shoulders off the ground, draw the knee of your bent leg in toward your chest. Try to keep your other knee pressed away from your body. To intensify the stretch, curl your head and shoulders in toward your knee and draw your knee toward your shoulders. Use your breath here, drawing your knee further in as you exhale, and relaxing your stretch as you inhale. Hold this for three to five breaths.

To do a seated forward bend, sit on stiff, folded blankets or blocks. The idea is to lift your hips high enough to allow you to sit comfortably with your legs straight but not locked. Being by simply sitting with your spine long and your head lifted. Again, use your breath: begin to fold forward from the hips, exhaling as you come forward and relaxing your stretch slightly as you inhale.

You can start with the half seated forward bend, bringing the sole of one foot to the inside of the other leg and the knee parallel to the floor Start with your foot at your ankle, and work your way up as your flexibility grows.

The best thing you can do is use props as your flexibility increases. If your body can't move in certain ways, then use the props to allow you to do more.

Best of luck to you!

MsBaltimore · 4 months

What about lying on your back, legs up in the air, and making the widest V you can make? Does that help? I've often found when my hips are locked up, that pose helps stretch me out.

Also, Warrior poses should help with his stretching. Sorry, I'm a yoga novice myself (I've been doing it for about 2 years but really only basic stuff) but those are some things I've noticed. Also, I'm a chick, so take my advice with a grain of salt!

cypherus · 4 months

This is so weird. It's like I'm reading a post that I would write about myself. I started yoga in September and was going every week, twice a week. I had/have horrible hips and have been very frustrated because I can't do some of the poses and it hurts to sit even cross legged. I have been away from yoga classes for a couple months due to work schedule and I've been sick, but I've been doing 10-15 minutes each day.

One thing I have been doing that I believe has helped greatly is laying down with my legs open in butterfly position. I watch a lot of television shows on netflix in my free time so I just hold this position for 10 or so minutes at a time with two minute breaks. Really, don't overthink it. Do what seems comfortable for you. If you can only handle two minutes of letting your legs fall into butterfly position then do only two minutes. Just allow gravity to pull your legs apart. I am looking forward to going back to class to see what difference there is, but I notice it when doing my stretches at home. I also like to hold pigeon pose from time to time, but start with the basics. Hope that helps.

nlsun · 4 months

I happen to be the opposite (hyper-mobile everywhere, especially my hips). However, I suggest using some santosha (contentment with where you are and how your body is in the moment) along with some props & variations to help out YOUR body and meet it where it is. For instance, sit on a few pillows or bolsters while sitting cross legged. Add a folded pillow under each knee. This will allow your legs & your hips to relax a bit--as opposed to working. so. hard. to get your hips to do what they're "supposed" to do. Once they can relax and you can relax a bit, maybe you can move a little bit farther into it. And a little bit farther. And a little bit farther. Imagery and meditation, of course, are important parts of yoga. I would also suggest during mediation or when preparing for medtitation (or when you're in a posture or when you're walking around in life), imagine sending the breath into the hip joints/pelvic region. Good luck to you. I'd love to hear in a few months how you're doing! **Edited for spelling.

kellyb76 · 3 months

I'm new to yoga (about a year) but have been blessed with an amazing teacher.

"Any other tall, stiff individuals have luck making their body loosen up?"

She always talks about never forcing or making your body do something that doesn't feel right.

She constantly reinforces, that bodies are all very different, and that you should use modifications and props instead of forcing.

Forgive your self, and your hips!

winnie_the_slayer · 4 months

Locked up hips are the primary way your subconscious blocks emotional expression. You can learn to stretch them but the deeper muscles (and attached emotional stuff) will stay stuck. A couple of things will help unlock your hips: 1) Grounding. Stand on a broomtick (one foot at a time on different parts of the feet) or stand on a tennis ball. Basically stretching the muscles of the feet. (The subconscious mind allows more energy flow when it feels like it is securely on the ground. Powerlifters wear flat shoes when they lift heavy for this reason). You can also do some foot exercises like in this video: http://vimeo.com/12213654 2) The Bow (as in Bow and arrow). http://vimeo.com/12751836 While standing and sticking your pelvis out, breathe deeply. Add some sound (say "ahhhhh" loud). Balance this exercise with a foward bend.

A third thing you could do is pelvic bouncing. Lay on the floor like you're going to do a situp: knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Now push your pelvis into the air and left it flop back onto the ground so it gets some vibration/bounce going on. After you get used to that, add some sound (say "ahh" again) and eventually work up to phrases "no" and finally "FUCK YOU" really loud. It'll get the emotions trapped in your hips to move. Good luck.

seanmharcailin · 4 months

practice DAILY- start with a simple 20 mnute practice of sun salutes and some hip openers (pigeon or pigeon-prep positions are great, Fire pose, and a dozen others). ANd, like I mentioned in my ther reply here, foam roll!

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