Gentle Hip Opening Yoga For Flexibility And Relaxation

Release tension and create more space through your hips with this gentle 25-minute yoga practice.

This mostly floor-based class focuses on stretching the hips, glutes, and outer thighs through slow, mindful movement and longer-held poses. We'll explore shapes such as Wandering Cow, Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana), Figure Four Twist, and other hip-opening stretches designed to improve mobility, ease stiffness, and encourage relaxation.

This practice is perfect if you're feeling tight from sitting, walking, traveling, strength training, or simply carrying stress in the body.

Benefits of this practice:
~ Release tension in the hips and low back
~ Improve hip mobility and flexibility
~ Stretch the glutes and outer hips
~ Support healthy posture and movement
~ Calm the nervous system and reduce stress

No yoga experience is required. Grab a blanket or bolster if you'd like a little extra support and join me on the mat.

Transcript

Hi, Welcome to Just King Yoga. This sequence is all about the hips. The hips are so important to our lower back. To the stability of our lives. Grab a couple yoga blocks. We will start in Shavasana. Let the feet flop out to the side. Find some space between your arms and your body. Take up space. Just let the back of the heart soften to the mat. Take a moment to notice how you have landed, How you feel in mind, Body, And spirit. Take a nice, Big, Rich, Full belly breath. Push the belly out to expand in the ribs. Open mouth, Exhale, Let it go. Do that again, Rich, Nourishing, Expansive breath, Fill up. And let the air go. On your next inhale, Gather the legs into your chest. Bring your hands around your shins. Just take a gentle rock side to side on the lower back. Bring the hands to the top of the knees. Notice how the palms of your hands and your kneecaps fit nicely together. And then start to take some hip circles here. You can stir the pot keeping the knees together or bring the knees towards one another towards your chest and then out into the right into the left. Forward and then back together. Keep going with these circles, Just noticing the fluidity or lack of fluidity that you have in your hips. And take these hip circles in the opposite direction, If you can wrap your head around that. Bring them out to the right and to the left to your chest and then forward. And keep going. Start to use your ujjayi breath, Inhaling and exhaling through the nose with a slight constriction in the back of the throat. Once you feel even in your hip circles, Come back to center and take another rock side to side. Good, Bring your hands underneath your knees. Point your toes hollow out your belly. Start to pump the legs like you are on a swing. So up and down. Maybe from here you can start to rock the length of your spine using that leg pump. To help you with this move. If this is crunchy on the lower back, Feel free to rock to the side and push yourself up. Come up to a seated position. And bring your feet out in front of you. And your hands as a kickstand behind the back. We're going to drop the knees over to the right. Any amount. Come back to center. Drop the knees over to the left. Do this a few more times. Come back to center, Drop the knees to the right. Center, Left. Center one more time each side drop to the right Come back to center. Drop to the left. Come back to center. We'll find Baddha Konasana. Bring the soles of the feet together. Knees out to the side. If you would like some support. Your blocks can be placed. Underneath your knees. And then hinge at the hips with a nice flat back. You don't need to find a lot of depth at this point. You can go gradually. Two more smooth, Steady breaths. Inhale through the nose. Exhale through the nose. And how through the nose. And exhale through the nose. Bring the shoulders back up over your hips. Find your way to your tabletop position. Stack the shoulders over the hips. I mean the shoulders over the wrists, The hips over the knees. I always say that. And just take some movements that feel good in the body. Maybe you sway the hips side to side. Noticing how your hips feel here. Maybe you walk the hands forward and let the hips float forward and down, Letting your feet go up to the ceiling, Broadening in the collarbone. Maybe you curl the toes under, Push your hips back and stretch out the soles of the feet. Whatever you're doing, Even yourself out from side to side and front to back and come back to your neutral. Tabletop position. We'll take some hip circles today. So just begin to circle the right knee forward, Bringing the knee towards the elbow and then back out. If you have a lot of clicking and popping here, Pull your belly in a little bit tighter. And then take these hip circles the opposite direction. Come on back to center. Extend that right leg out behind you. Leave your toes on the earth. And just pulse into the heel, Opening up the back of the leg line. Lift the right leg parallel to the earth. We're going to move into a gates pose. So take your right leg straight out to the right. Point your toes straight forward. Curl your left toes under. Push your butt back. And maybe walk your hands farther forward. One more breath, Inhale. And exhale. Stack your shoulders back up over your wrists. Take your right leg back straight behind you. Wandering cow, Take your right foot to the left side of the mat. Nestle the right knee behind the left knee. And then once again walk your hands forward and push your butt back. So you might need to adjust the body until you can feel the stretch in the outer right hip. One more breath, Inhale. And exhale. Unravel, Come back to your tabletop. Let's take a couple Cat-Cows to neutralize the spine. Inhale, Drop the belly, Lift the gaze, Spread the sit bone. Exhale, Chin to chest, Round the spine, Tuck the pelvis, See that the elbows are soft. Do that again. Inhale, Drop the belly, Lift the gaze, Stretch the core. Exhale, Chin to chest, Round the spine, Push into your finger pads and your knuckles. One more time, Inhale. And exhale. Come back to your tabletop. Let's take that little series on the other side. So hip circles with the left leg. Bring the left knee towards your left elbow or forearm. Or if you're really fluid you might be able to bring it towards the triceps. Pull the belly in tight. Notice the differences between the sides here. A great place for self-study. Take your hip circles in the opposite direction. Once you're even, Extend that left leg out behind you. Leave the toes on the mat and just pulse into the heel, Opening up the back of the leg line. And then lift the left leg parallel to the earth. We'll move into gate pose legs. Take that left leg out to the left. Point your toes straight forward. Curl your right toes under. Walk the hands forward. And push your butt back. Smooth, Steady breaths here. Bring the shoulders back up over the wrists. Take your left leg back behind you. And then find wandering cow, Bring the left foot to the right side of the mat, Nestle the left knee behind the right knee. Walk your hands forward. Push your butt back. Unravel. Come back to your tabletop. Shift your butt to one side or the other. Come to sitting on the butt. Extend your legs straight out in front of you. Take your blocks with you. Do anything that you need to do before making your way to your back so you can be comfortable. Once you make your way to Shavasana. If you need socks or a sweater. Or a blanket. Get it. And then. . . Come all the way down to the back if you want to go fast. Go fast if you want to go slow and use your core. Go slow. Once you get down to your back, Hug your legs into your chest, Take a little rock side to side. Let the feet come down, Land them hip width apart and pointing straight. With your knees up to the ceiling, Extend your right leg high. We'll find a figure four pose, Right ankle on top of the left thigh. Maybe this is where you stay or interlace your hands around the left hamstring. Soften the shoulders and flatten out the neck. Then send your exhale breath to where you feel the sensations in the body. Likely the right glutes Right hamstring, Lower back. Keep flexing your right toes. Leave your legs as they are. Bring the arms out to a T. Let your legs flow over to the left as you take your gaze to the right. I like to put my foot on a block. And same thing here, Breathe into where you feel the sensations, Likely the outer right hip. Use your core to come back to center. Hug your legs back into your chest, Another rock side to side. Let's do this on the opposite side. Let the feet come down. Land them hip width apart and pointing straight. Extend your left leg high. Left ankle on top of the right thigh. You can stay here or interlace your hands around the right hamstring. Keep flexing your left foot. Stay here. Or bring your arms out to a T. Let those legs float over to the right. Take your gaze to the left. Use your core to come on back to center. Hug your legs back into your chest. Another rock side to side. We'll take those same hip circles that we did at the beginning of class Bring your hands to the top of your knees. Take your knees out to the right and to the left. Send them forward, Back together, Back towards your chest. Notice if you have any more fluidity in the hips perhaps. If you don't, Take your hip circles in the opposite direction. If you don't, Remember this is just practice. Takes coming back to our mat again and again. With consistency, With dedication. Once you feel even, Come back to center. If you need anything else from your practice, Feel free to do it. Or if you're ready for your Shavasana, Maybe a nice tight final loving squeeze. Drawing the forehead towards the knees. Squeezing. And then binding. Your final shavasana. Take up space. Let the toes flop out to the side. Let the body be heavy and still as you soak in the benefits of Put in yourself. In two. Your asanas, Your shapes, Your poses. I will call you out in just a few minutes when our time is complete. Thanks. . . If you have time. I encourage you to stay in your Shavasana for longer. Maybe 10 minutes. This is where I will leave you today. Thank you for practicing. Or moving your body. For being present with the breath. The light and the dark within me honors. And respect. The light and the dark within you. Have a beautiful day. Namaste.