Hips!! The Junk drawer of the Body...!!

The Hips!!

Did you know it is said that when the body does not know what to do with an emotion it sticks it in the hips?!? It locks it up there until we decide to release it, let it go. The fascia or connective tissue in the hips holds onto past events, regrets, frustrations and guilt.
What Yoga poses should we be doing to release and stretch into the hips...??

Bhekasana (Frog Pose variation):
This pose provides a strong external rotation and opening of the hips.
To come into the pose-
Take your knees wide into a splits position.
Then walk the feet out wider than the knees.
**It is important to turn the toes out away from each! If the toes are pointed in, you will not get the same stretch.
Next, support your upper body as you lower down towards the floor resting your forehead either on a forearm or a towel.
Once you have lowered the body down to where you are comfortable, shift your bottom slightly back towards your heels to intensify the stretch. Expect it to be uncomfortable. Unless you are experiencing true pain from an old or new injury in the hips, try to stay with it. Breath 10 deep belly breaths (about 1 minute), sending that breath into the hips with awareness, asking for opening.
*Be sure to relax any tension at the tops of the shoulders by walking the shoulders away from the ears and softening the tops of the trapezius.

Baddha Konasana (Cobblers Pose):
Sitting up nice and tall, bring the soles of the feet together and interlace your fingers around your toes.
Relax your shoulders. Inhale to sit up tall, lift through the sternum and exhale to hinge at your hips and bow forward.
Drop the chin and close the eyes. Soften the tops of the shoulders.
Use your inner, upper groins to energetically press your knees down towards the floor with actually touching the knees.
If you need more access to the pose, and a gentler stretch, walk the heels out away from the groins.
Breath 10 deep breaths (about 1 minute).

These are just two of many, many yoga poses that can be used to open the hips. Consider warming up for hip openers with a seated Cradle Pose in which you hold onto the leg and rock the hip back and forth-one hand on the knee, the other hand on the foot.

Other hip openers include:
Seated Archer
Cow face pose & half cow face pose
Pigeon Pose
Happy baby pose & half happy baby pose
Supta Baddha Konasana (reclining cobblers pose)
Wide kneed childs pose
Standing goddess pose (straddle stretch variation)
Half frog pose, one leg at a time on belly

Enjoy!! & Don't forget to breath...
~Andrea
Andrea Hutchens, RYT 500 is a registered yoga teacher in Sedona, Arizona that enjoys sharing the benefits of yoga with others through classes, workshops and retreats.