Somatic Hip Release

This gentle somatic practice guides you into the hips and pelvis to release deeply held tension and restore a sense of safety in your body. Using slow, intuitive movement and breath, you’ll work with the psoas and nervous system to unwind patterns of bracing and protection. Rather than forcing a stretch, this session invites your body to open naturally through awareness and ease. You may experience yawning, sighing, or emotional release as your system begins to unwind. Ideal for anyone with tight hips, lower back discomfort, or a desire to reconnect with their body. Practice begins at 3:00.

Transcript

Hi, I'm Dr. Kim. I teach people how to heal chronic pain using somatic movement, Meditation, Breathwork and energy work. Today's session is all about the hips. Most of us have been taught to think about the hips in purely physical terms, Like you may have tight hip flexors, Weak glutes or muscles that need to stretch or strengthen more. And while there is definitely some truth in that, The physical is really only one layer of the story. Your hips and pelvis are deeply connected to your nervous system. Right in the center of this area lives a muscle called the psoas. It is a large muscle that connects from your spine, Runs down through your belly and then attaches onto your hips. And it plays a huge role in your fight, Flight or freeze response. When your body perceives stress, Whether that's physical, Emotional or even something subtle like feeling overwhelmed, The psoas muscle tightens up to prepare you to run away, Brace or protect, Which leads to tight and sore hips. Now, If you don't release that tension, It does not just disappear on its own. Your body stores it in the hips, The pelvis, The gut and the womb. This can show up in all sorts of ways. You might notice you have tight hips that don't seem to release no matter what stretches you do. Lower back pain, A sense of stiffness or restriction in your movement or even a feeling of disconnection or not feeling safe in your own body. In today's practice, We are not going to force the hips to open or do any deep stretches. Instead, We're going to move slowly and gently with our breath in a way that allows your nervous system to feel safe enough to open and relax through the hips without effort. You may yawn, Sigh or cry during this practice. If this happens, It is your nervous system beginning to unwind. Allow these releases to come forth from your body. Now, This practice is best done from your bed. Please move into your bedroom, Dim down your lights and put in your earphones. Laying on your belly on your bed, Allow your forehead to rest on your folded hands. Relax your fingers, Your shoulders. Release any bracing through the lower back and legs. Allow the muscles in your body to completely melt. Feel your belly move into the mattress as you breathe. Start to wiggle your hips from side to side. Relax into this movement using the momentum. Allow this movement to spread through the lower back. Feel the gentle massage of your thighs. Putting some very gentle movement in through the hips to prepare them for this practice. Deep diaphragmatic breaths. Expanding your belly down into your mattress. And gradually slow down your movement until your hips come to a natural rest. Place your left foot next to your right knee, Forming a figure-four with the left leg. It's okay if your foot does not reach the mattress. Relax your leg as much as you can. Let your hip melt open. No force, Just using breath and gravity. Keeping the left knee in place, Slowly move your left foot up to the ceiling, Like your shin becomes a windscreen wiper. And feel how that rotates the hip inside the socket. Exhale and slowly place the foot back next to the right knee. Inhale, Move the left foot up to the ceiling. Exhale, Slowly bring it back down. Inhale, Exhale, Inhale. Continue breathing and moving. Moving at your own pace. Feeling the deep movement of the hip rotate inside the socket. You may already feel the urge to yawn or sigh. Allow it to release. Last one. Come back to the figure-four position. And notice how much more comfortable this left hip is. Compared to when we started. Bring the left leg down straight to meet the right. And take a minute to notice how the left leg feels long and relaxed compared to the right. Bend the right leg into the figure-four position. Breathe deeply. Consciously relax the muscles of your right leg. And let's begin moving. Inhale, Up. Exhale, Down into the figure-four. Inhale, Up. Exhale, Down. Inhale, Up. Exhale, Down. Inhale, Up. Find your own slow and smooth rhythm. We are moving the femur bone through internal and external rotation inside the hip socket. Signaling to the psoas muscle that it's safe to relax. Last one. Rest your leg in the figure-four position. Notice the difference compared to a couple of minutes ago. And bring the right leg down to join the left. Notice how your spine and hips feel. Lengthened. Completely calm. Move into a tabletop position. On all fours, On your hands and knees. We're going to do some cat-cows to mobilize the spine, Preparing our body for the next release. Inhale, Pull your spine up to the ceiling, Curving it, Feeling the stretch through your spine. Exhale, Drop the belly down, Keeping your shoulders activated. Inhale, Up. Exhale, Down. Inhale, Up. Exhale, Down. And return your spine to neutral. From here, Move your hips and your head to the left, Forming a C-shape from your head to your tailbone. Now move your head and your hips to the right, Curving the C-shape the other way. And to the left. And to the right. Continue wagging your tail from side to side. Feel that deep stretch through the sides of your body. This is one of my favorite movements. It feels so good. And come back to a neutral position. Drop down onto your elbows. You can clasp your hands in front of you. From here, Keeping your spine neutral, Not allowing the stomach to drop down or curve upwards. Keeping the spine flat, Slowly spread the knees, Moving into a very shallow frog position. And from here, Start to rock your body backwards and forwards. As you do this, If it feels good for you, You can allow your knees to spread a little further outwards on the bed. Keeping your core slightly engaged to protect your lower back. Pulsing and rocking through the hips. Relax your neck. This is a very deep and powerful movement. You may experience shaking or tremoring through the lower abdomen and hips. Allow it to release. Let your body sigh, Yawn or cry if it wants. Well done. Very carefully, Lower your upper body down onto the bed. Straighten out your legs. Lay your head on your hands. And just rest. Notice how all the holding and bracing patterns in your lower back, Hips and legs have completely melted away. Roll onto your back. Bring your knees up to your chest. Giving them a hug. And rock from right to left. Find comfort in this self hug. And let whatever emotions you feel, Express through your face. Stay here for as long as you need.