Supine Hip Stretches

This 20-minute practice is ideal for beginning the day or winding down in the evening. Let the floor support you while you actively stretch your hips. Recommended props: yoga strap (or a towel/belt/sheet), block, blanket, and pillows.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to class. My name is Jen. So today's class is a hip stretch class, And you'll need a couple of things. One is a yoga strap or a belt, Towel or sheet, Something to loop over your foot. And then a pillow or a blanket for under your head, And a block if you have one, And a couple of bolsters. If not, Some firm pillows will be great. Okay, Once you're ready. Come on to your back. Have your strap nearby, Take your feet wide to the edge of the mat, And let your knees roll in toward one another. Roll your head side to side. Let your head and shoulders be heavy into the mat. Take a slow breath in toward the bottom of your ribs. Gently blow the air out. Good, Breathe in, Low ribs expand, Belly gives. And exhale. Good, As you breathe in to the bottom of the lungs, Belly gives, Pelvic floor broadens. Blow the air out. Breathe in, Ribs expand, Belly gives, Hips get loose in the socket. Exhale, Everything softens. And breathe in nose to toes. And then sink into the mat. Bring your knees wide. We'll begin with. Windshield wipers. So just side to side, Get a little rotation in your hips. And then come back to center. Walk your feet in. Then loop up your left foot. Right knee can stay bent or you can straighten it. And then keep a bend in your left knee. So you're gonna walk your hands up the strap until you feel a stretch in the back of your left thigh without straightening your leg. Once you feel the stretch, Just hold. Again, Check your head and neck and jaw. Slow, Easy breath. And then as your muscle gets used to the stretch, We're gonna add a second layer. That second layer is to scoop your heel toward the ceiling as you gently draw your foot toward your face with the strap. Working towards straight. Might feel a little shake. All good. Keep breathing. Press the heel toward the ceiling. Gently draw your foot toward your face. And then. . Bring your legs straight, So as much as you need. Let the strap out till your leg is straight, Then bring your hand to your right hip and open your left leg out to the side. So you're gonna keep this right hip down on the mat and you're gonna open to the left till you get a stretch through the left inner thigh. And bring it back up to the center and switch hands. You'll take your left thumb down into the hip crease and you'll keep your left side down into the mat and bring the left foot across your body. So don't let your hip lift. You're gonna keep the pelvis on the ground and you're just gonna bring it across the body and you can kind of explore. You can let it down a little or bring it up a little. Until you find a stretch up over the left hip and toward the low back. Head, Neck, And shoulders heavy. Do a tension check. Bring your left foot back up, Cross your left ankle above your right knee for figure four. Bring your right thigh in toward your chest. You can either interlace your hands or you can use the strap to give yourself a little more space. Pull it in. Whichever one works best for you. When you do this, Your low back's gonna wanna round up and tailbone point toward the ceiling. Instead, Keep your tailbone pointing toward the wall in front of you and just pull the thigh in without rounding the back. Work your left knee away from you. Breathe into the lower ribs. Bring your right foot down, Scoot your hips over to the left. And then bring your left foot to the floor. You can either hold on to your left ankle with your right hand and stretch your left arm out. Or you can straighten your left leg. We're looking for a stretch across the left shoulder, Over the left hip. And if your leg is straight, All the way down to the ankle. With each breath in, Ribs expand. With each breath out, A little more twist. Good, And then come onto your left side. You can keep your bottom leg bent and grab a hold of your top leg. You can use the strap if you want or you can grab a hold of your ankle. And bring your knee in line with your hip and draw your left knee back and your left heel toward your hip. Looking for a front of the thigh stretch here. So knee in line with hip, Draw it back behind your other knee, And draw your heel toward your hip. Good, Release, Come on to your back, And let's do the same thing on the other side. Strap up your right foot. Left knee can stay bent or straight. Keep a little bit of a bend in your knee. Walk your hands up the strap. Until you feel a stretch in the back of the left thigh. Remember, Keep that bend in the knee. And then scoop your right heel toward the ceiling. And gently pull the strap toward you. Nothing to force. Just increasing the stretch a bit. Head, Neck and shoulders relaxed. Slow, Easy breath. Okay, Let the strap slide out a bit until your right leg is straight. Left hand on your left hip and open the right leg out to the side. So you find that right inner thigh lengthening. Try to create as much space as possible between your left hip and your right foot. Bring your right foot up, Switch hands, Right thumb goes in the hip crease, Press the right hip down, Then bring your foot across your body. So you can explore how far up you bring it. The farther up you bring it, The more you'll feel it in the back. Of the thigh, The more you let it out a bit. The more you're likely to feel it around. The outside of the right hip. And that's what we're looking for. So find the spot that works for you. And then bring it back up. Bend your left knee, Cross your right ankle above the knee. Bring your left thigh in. Remember, Your back's gonna wanna flatten and roll up. See if you can keep a little space under your low back, Keep your tailbone from curling up, And just bring the left thigh in as the right knee moves away from you. Good, And then scoot your hips over to the right. Bring your right foot to the ground and your right arm out to the side. So you can either stay right here holding on to your ankle or you can straighten your leg out long, Whichever one. Feels right. Each breath in, Ribs expand. Each breath out, Sink into the twist. And then roll onto your side. You can either use the strap or just grab a hold of your ankle. Bottom knee is bent. Take your top knee, Your right knee, Back behind your left knee and draw your right heel to your hip. So as your knee goes back, Your hips stay stacked. Creating length along the front of the right thigh. Release your foot. Take the strap off and grab a block or a firm pillow. Lift your hips up and bring the block down. Underneath the back of your pelvis. So if this doesn't feel good with the block, You can always switch it out for a pillow. And then bring your right knee toward your chest. Kind of take it out to the side and bring it in so it doesn't feel pinchy in there. And then slide your left leg long. The more you bring your right knee toward your chest. And the more you lengthen your heel out away from you, The more of a stretch over the front of the right hip. So experiment with that, Find the spot. And then slow breath in. Exhale, Everything softens into the mat. Release your right foot to the ground, Slide your left foot in. And then take your left knee out and around and slide your right heel out. Remember the farther in you bring your left knee and the farther out you slide your right heel. The more lengthening in front of the right hip. Bring your left foot down, Right foot in, Remove the block. Happy Baby is next. So Happy Baby, You can either hold your knees, Your thighs, Or your feet. And then just rock side to side. Think of it as a little massage for the low back. If you want, You can lengthen one leg and then the other. And then come back to center. If you have pillows here. You can either come straight into Shavasana with your legs long or you can bring your feet together and let your knees fall out wide. For supported butterfly. Once you find your position. Come back to that slow, Easy breath. Imagine as you breathe in, You breathe into the low ribs, Belly gives, Pelvic floor broadens. Breathe all the way to the toes. And then as you breathe out, Sink into the mat. As you breathe in, Imagine your hips floating in the socket. As you breathe out, Imagine them sinking in toward the mat. Straighten your legs out long if they aren't already. You may want to reach your arms overhead or out to the side. And then roll over onto your side. Take a moment here and notice how your hips feel. And then slowly come back to seated. Little shoulder roll here. And a side bend. And gentle twist. And then back to center. Thank you for joining me for this class. You are welcome to make any variations. Pick and choose the postures that work for you and Use them as often as you can to find some extra space in your head. Take care, I'll see you next time.

Reviews

What a great mid-afternoon reprieve between video calls! Thanks.

Great class for releasing tension in my hips and low back! Jen has a gift for “just right” pacing and creative cueing. Highly recommend!