5 Poses to Stretch Your Hip Flexors

Individuals typically strive yoga as a result of their muscle mass really feel tight or they’ve stiff joints. One frequent difficulty underneath that umbrella is tight hip flexors. 

Many individuals really feel pressure within the hips due to sedentary existence, like working in an workplace or driving lengthy distances every day. If we don’t use our hip flexors a lot, they change into shortened and this could make them much less efficient, liable to damage, or robust on our posture. 

However, individuals who use their hip flexors so much, resembling runners, dancers, and athletes, may additionally do with some hip stretching to maintain these muscle mass in good situation and cut back the chance of accidents and tears. 

Somewhat context about your hip flexors and a few focused yoga poses may help you take care of these muscle mass to enhance the way in which they really feel and carry out.

What Precisely Are Hip Flexors?

Briefly, your hip flexors are muscle mass that flex the hip, which principally means bringing your knee nearer to your chest. 

Going upstairs? Hip flexion. 

Kicking a ball? Hip flexion.

The muscle mass that work collectively to facilitate this are referred to as:

• iliacus
• psoas
• pectineus
• rectus femoris, and
• sartorius

The iliacus and the psoas are the heavy hitters. They’re typically grouped collectively and referred to as the iliopsoas musculotendinous unit. 

All 5 muscle mass assist with hip flexion and in addition steadiness your posterior pelvic muscle mass. 

Do not forget that all the pieces within the physique is linked, so stretching and strengthening your hip flexors may help different elements of your physique, together with your posture. Taking care of these muscle mass can moreover profit your vary of movement and steadiness, assist launch pressure, and cut back the chance of damage, each on and off the mat.

Final however not least, stretching your hip flexors can really feel Oh. So. Good.

Poses That Stretch Your Hip Flexors

1. Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)

You’ve most likely seen folks performing lunges many instances. Right here’s how to do that primary stretch safely.

The way to do low lunge:

• From a ahead fold, step your left foot again and decrease the knee to the ground or a block. 
• Place each fingers in your entrance thigh or on the ground.
• Interact your left glute.
• Push your left hip ahead.
• Preserve your stomach tucked in and push your decrease vertebrae backward.
• Shift your proper knee ahead into the lunge.
• You must really feel a stretch in your internal left thigh and entrance of your hip, your psoas.
• Return to the highest of the mat when able to repeat on the opposite facet.

Low lunge pose on DYWM

David’s Lunge (Psoas Stretch) class is a concise and exact demonstration of this frequent stretch, which is improbable for awakening the dormant psoas muscle.

2. Lizard (Utthan Pristhasana)

Wonderful on your hamstrings, quads, and naturally, hip flexors – lizard pose additionally simply feels nice.

The way to do lizard pose

• Begin in downward-facing canine.
• Step your proper foot ahead to the surface of your proper hand. Many individuals prefer to angle their foot and knee out to the facet extra, typically rolling to the outer fringe of their foot. 
• Decrease your left knee to the mat. You’ll be able to untuck your again toes, but it surely’s optionally available.
• You may decrease down onto your forearms subsequent to your entrance foot or use blocks. Soften your head, soften your coronary heart.
• Return to downward-facing canine after which repeat for the opposite facet.

Lizard pose on DYWM

In Flip Your Lizard, Jonni Lyn provides your hip flexors one other stretch. This can be a enjoyable, superior class that demonstrates a variation of this highly effective pose.

3. Reclined Hero Pose (Supta Virasana)

Reclined hero pose affords a powerful stretch of the hip flexors, so take it slowly and gently to seek out the stretch that’s comfy for you.

The way to do reclined hero pose:

• Kneel along with your ft open to about mat width.
• Regulate in order that your decrease legs are on the surface of your higher legs, heels sliding outdoors your bum.
• Gently lean backward till you might be resting in your elbows. In case your knees come off the mat, again off; you possibly can cease there at this time or seize some props.
• If comfy, preserve leaning again so your again lies on the mat or a bolster. 
• Place your arms at your sides or you possibly can strive reaching again, over your head, along with your arms.

Another is to do that pose one leg at a time, retaining the opposite leg prolonged out straight, or with a bent knee. Begin reclining from this place to really feel a deeper stretch within the higher leg, then swap to the opposite facet.

Reclined hero pose on DYWM

Once more, Jonni-Lyn’s targeted and powerful movement Jivamukti Compass features a nice instance of the right way to transfer into and out of reclined hero pose.

4. Bow pose (Dhanurasana)

Your hips are in for a deal with with this pose. In addition to stretching out your hips, bow pose will lengthen your entrance physique together with your abs, biceps, and pecs. 

Be aware that this pose might be robust in your again when you have very tight hip flexors, so you could resolve that bow pose isn’t for you at this time.

The way to do bow pose

• Lie down onto your stomach.
• Attempt to elongate the area between your hips and your knees.
• Bend your knees, bringing your flexed ft towards your sit bones.
• Separately, seize your ankles or ft. Should you can’t attain, use a strap or scarf.
• Pull your legs again to elevate your chest off the ground.
• Inhale as you elevate your chest and thighs—it’s not how a lot you elevate that counts however your intention.
• Open your chest by transferring your shoulder blades towards one another.
• Keep this place for a number of breaths.

Bow pose on DYWM

To start with, try Fiji’s intermediate Bow Pose class for a brief however detailed introduction to bow pose. If you have already got good conditioning otherwise you simply wish to know what moving into bow pose seems to be like, this is likely to be the category for you.

For extra element, check out Rachel’s four-part collection on bow pose. 

1. Bow Pose: Core Power
2. Bow Pose: Hip Flexor Launch
3. Bow Pose: Open the Shoulders
4. Bow Pose: Prepared for the Peak

5. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

In addition to an important hip flexor stretch, camel pose is a difficult again bend, so take it gently. Like bow pose, it may be robust in your again when you have tremendous tight hip flexors, so you could wish to give this one a miss or construct up progressively.

The way to do camel pose

• Kneel along with your ft underneath your butt and the tops of your ft towards the mat.
• Transfer your knees so they’re about hip-width aside.
• Place your fingertips or thumbs in your decrease again.
• Interact your core by drawing your low stomach and ribs in, feeling management and help on your backbone.
• Gently lean backward, lifting from the sternum.
• One hand at a time, attain again on your heels, or preserve your fingers in your again for extra help. 
• Gently drop your head again if it feels protected on your neck.
• Breathe.

Camel pose on DYWM

In Jivamukti Compass, Jonni-Lyn takes you thru a powerful, targeted movement that features some nice stretches for hip flexors, together with camel pose and reclined hero pose. 

She has nice recommendation for camel, demonstrating the right way to play somewhat with the pose to get a superb stretch in your quadriceps.

Bonus Class

Right here’s yet another killer hip flexor class from the DYWM bag. Attempt David’s aptly-named Hip Flexor Heaven to be taught why stretching out these hip flexors feels so good!

Key Takeaways for Stretching Your Hip Flexors

• Stretching your hip flexors may enhance your steadiness and posture.
• Your hips don’t need to be tight to profit from a superb stretch.
• Bow pose, camel pose, reclined hero pose, low lunge, and lizard pose are all glorious for stretching your hip flexors.
• DYWM has many lessons that will help you stretch your hip flexors…

…and they’re going to assist you stretch your hip flexors safely and to a degree that feels comfy to you. 

All our our bodies are completely different, so be at liberty to make use of props or make changes that help your distinctive physique.

With that in thoughts, please give our hip flexor lessons a try to tell us how they give you the results you want.