Easy Hip Mobility Practice

Tight, stiff hips can leave your whole body feeling restricted, especially through the pelvis and lower back. This gentle standing practice combines hip mobility, pelvic rocking and a deep iliopsoas stretch to help release tension and restore freedom of movement. Explore your hips in every direction, ease into the front of the hips, and discover how much lighter and more fluid your movement can feel. All you need is a little space and a chair or wall for support. Finish feeling looser, more open and ready to move. Repeat daily for long-lasting results.

Transcript

For this standing hip release practice, You will need either a chair, Or a wall to steady yourself if you need. Begin with the feet slightly wider than hip width apart. Making sure they are parallel to each other, Pointing straight forward. Bend the knees slightly. We never lock the knees backwards. And feel the floor with the feet. Drop the breath. Down to the diaphragm. And take a few grounding breaths here before we begin. We're going to begin with some pelvic rocking. Shift the weight. Over to one side. Keeping the knees slightly bent. Moving the hips to the side. And then transfer the weight into the other foot. Shifting the hips again. And let's continue here. Gently rocking the hips from side to side. Keeping the upper body. Fairly still. Isolating the hip. And you may find that one side feels easier. Than the other. Try to make the movement as even as possible from side to side. And now really feel how the hips are moving. How the femur bone is moving inside the socket. Last one. And return the hip. Back to normal. Next we're going to move the pelvis forward and back Slightly bend the knees again. Engage the glutes. Wheezing a coin in between them. Pushing the pelvis forward. Holding the core nice and strong. The spine should be fairly straight in this position. And here. You'll feel. A slight pull through the front of the hip. And release the glutes. And very carefully rock the pelvis backwards. Keeping the knees bent. Again. Squeeze the glutes together, Keeping the knees bent and core tight. Rock forward. And feel the tension in the front of the hip. And then let it go. Shifting the pelvis back. This is a very small movement. And we're going to slowly alternate. Between positions, Rocking the pelvis forward and back. Feel the strength of the glutes. And the stretch in the hips at the front. Breathing down into the diaphragm. When we're concentrating, We tend to forget about our breath. And if it feels good for you. You can make this movement a little bigger. And start to flow between the positions. Last one. And come back to your center. Now we've warmed up the hips in all four directions. Front, Back, Right and left. And now we're going to start making circles here. This is an easy, Lazy movement. Bringing the hips through all four. Ranges of motion. I love doing hip circles. Every time I go to the gym I do these as a warm-up. They feel so good on the body. And other way. And as you bring the hips forward. Feel how the tension through the front of the hips move through the right and left sides. Breathing, Breathing. And coming back to your center. We're going to finish the standing sequence. With a deeper stretch. Through the iliopsoas muscle. Which attaches from your lower back. And runs down the pelvis. Into the hip. This muscle being tight is a major cause of hip pain, Tightness, Stiffness and lower back pain. Take a hold of your chair. Bring the foot. Closest to the chair. In front of you? Bending the knee. And bring the other foot back into a lunge. FOOTS pointing out 45 degrees. Square up the hips making sure they're facing the front and not out to the side. Activate the glutes. Keeping the spine as straight as you can. No arching forwards with the butt up. In this position, You'll already feel a good stretch in the calf muscle. And some of you may already feel a stretch through the front of the back hip. If you feel this already, Remain here and breathe. If you're wanting a deeper stretch. Bring the arm furthest away from the chair. Up to the ear. Keeping the pelvis still. Side bend the upper body. Over to the chair. And breathe here. You'll be able to feel. A pull. Running through the front of that back hip. Breathe down into the diaphragm. And release. Come back up to the center. Drop the arm. And shake out the legs, Giving them a little rest. And you'll be able to feel already the difference. In the feeling of the hips from right to left. Let's do the other side. Front foot. Forward closest to the chair. Back foot in a lunge position. Square the hip. Activate the glute. Bring the arm up to the ear. And side bend over to the chair. Feel the pull through the hips. Breathing. Keep the legs and glutes strong. One more breath. And release. Shake out the legs again. Come back. To your center. And just wiggle the hips a little. Doing circles, Moving them back and forth. And side to side. And just notice. How much easier they move. After completing this short practice.