If you’re dealing with tight or tense hip flexors, this yoga practice is for you.

This can feel great after a long drive, a lot of sitting at your desk, or if you’re feeling sore after a hip-focused workout. And you can do it all in less than 15 minutes!

The yoga practice below works to stretch the hip crease area, offering some space and length in these muscles that are ‘shortened’ by frequent sitting. Have a blanket or cushion available for these postures.

Feeling tightness at the front of your hips? Read on, friend!

90-90 LOW LUNGE WITH PELVIC TILT, CAT/COW MOVEMENTS

- Start of with a 90-90 lunge (that’s approximately a 90 degree angle in the knees, a short stance perhaps). I’d recommend using a kneepad like a folded blanket or towel for some cushioning under that bottom knee.

- Add a posterior pelvic tilt. Imagine your tailbone pointing down towards the floor instead of towards the back of the room. Can you feel some sensations at the front of the hip?

- Keep the activation that maintains that pelvic tilt, and add some cat/cow arms. When you inhale, bring the elbows wide, draw the shoulder blades towards each other, and lift the chin. When you exhale, draw the arms together in front of you, chin towards chest, and round your spine while keeping the pelvic tilt. Delicious sensations here for me, how about you?

LUNGE, PELVIC TILT, SIDE BENDS

- Maintaining that pelvic tilt, create length in the spine and reach up, then bend over to one side. It doesn’t need to be a great big side bend, just a little tilt could do it. You’re leaning away from that sensational hip, or towards the side of the body that has the foot forward.

- If you’re not feeling much, try adding some slight oscillating movements, gently turning your chest up towards the ceiling, and down towards the floor, while keeping the rest of your lunge shape the same.

- Repeat on the other side!

BRIDGE POSE WITH PELVIC TILT

- Lie down on the back with knees bent and feet planted. Step your feet in quite close to your hips, keeping them hip-distance apart. We’re setting up a variation of bridge pose. Remember the posterior pelvic tilt? We add that action again here by peeling the tailbone up off of the floor and pressing into the feet.

- Think about pointing your tailbone towards your calves as you continue to press into the feet and lift your hips higher. Don’t worry about what the upper body is doing too much - make this a lower-body-focused posture.

- Try holding with that pelvic tilt for 6-8 breaths. With control, lower your hips back down.

SUPPORTED BRIDGE WITH ONE LEG EXTENDED

- Now use your kneepad prop (folded blanket, couch cushion, beach towel) for a Supported Bridge Pose. Press into your feet and place that height beneath your sacrum, then rest your weight fully on the prop. Adjust as needed.

- Extend one leg, heel touching down on the mat, and engage and release your glutes on that side a few times. For more sensation, draw the bent leg into your chest. Repeat with other leg extended.

- Take another posterior pelvic tilt bridge as you remove the prop.

HALF SADDLE/HALF HERO

- With knees bent and feet planted wider than hips, take some windshield wiper motions with the knees going side to side. Pause with knees over to the left.

- Draw your right heel close to your right hip, with top of the foot resting down. Right knee should point to the short edge of your mat, shoulder hip and knee in a line. Sitting up on your cushion could help this to be more accessible.

- For folks that want to increase sensation, if it feels okay for the right knee, you could lean back and lower down onto forearms. Add a slight posterior pelvic tilt and settle into a place where you can take some deep, slow breaths. Holding your breath is not an option. If you’re gritting your teeth and scrunching up your face, you’ve gone too far.

- Stay as long as you like. Slowly release and return to windshield wiper knees, then repeat on the other side.

TAKE A MOMENT TO REST

- Settle into a savasana and take a little time for final rest. Lay down comfortably and count down ten slow breaths.

Want to follow along with the video? Here’s the link to the free practice on Youtube! Enjoy 🙏

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL7P_2NiI3M

from the Practice With Bren Youtube Channel