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Hip opening yoga sequence free#

Watch José de Groot’s free yoga video for examples of different variations of Saddle Pose Poses for this muscle group include Lunges, Bridge, and Saddle Pose (pictured). If we looked at a skeleton’s pelvis straight on would the hip sockets be more to the front or to the sides? Deeper set or shallow? In terms of hip openers the key skeletal variations are: So what is a strong external rotation for one person is not so strong for the next person. Add to this the fact that we are also all asymmetrical, one side will generally feel ‘easier’ in a pose than the other. People’s skeletons vary widely to each other in terms of the width and angles of pelvis and femur and how they meet together. The second and ultimate limit to range of motion in hip openers (and all poses) is the skeleton. Bone will not (should not) move past bone no matter how much we work on it!

This is what yoga poses can work on and help with as we cover later. One is the flexibility or tightness of the muscles, tendons and fascia in and around the joint – we looked at this a little in Yoga and Flexibility. There are two physical factors which can limit our range of motion that is to say, how open, our hips are: Flexibility Gluteal group (3 gluteals, 3 external rotators and the IT Band which is a large tendon) – on the outer side and back of hip/ buttocksįor a detailed exploration of the specific muscles used in yoga I recommend Ray Long’s Bandha Yogawebsite and books.

Groin, Internal rotators and Adductors group (7 muscles) – in the inside leg.

Hamstring group (3 major and 1 minor muscle) – the back of the leg.

Quadriceps and Hip Flexors group (4 of each) – at the front of the leg and hip.

Hip opening poses in yoga will have one (sometimes two) of these groups as their main target area. These four muscle groups also correspond to the pathways of myofascial meridians – this is a topic in itself we will cover soon.

In terms of our yoga practice, to make it more simple, we can think of the hip as being divided into four major sections muscle groups. These run from the lumbar spine (the psoas) right down to the knees (some of the quadriceps). So we can see that the term ‘hip muscles’ starts to get a little more complex and confused! Muscles of the hipsĭepending on how they are classified there can be between 17 and 25 muscles involved in these movements of the hip. For example, the actions in the front leg in Baddha Konasana (pictured below) are external rotation, flexion and abduction. These can also be done in combinations of up to three actions at the same time (one from each group).

External (lateral) Rotation – rolling the fronts of the thighs away from each other e.g.

Internal (medial) Rotation – as if the fronts of the inner thighs are moving towards each other – Hero’s pose when sitting between the heels.

Abduction – moving the thighs away – like stepping out into Prasarita Padottanasana.

Adduction – moving the thighs towards each other (or towards the mid-line) – like in Eagle pose.

Extension – the opposite action, bringing the leg behind the line of the torso – as in Cobra and Locust.

Flexion – moving the thigh towards the chest as in Child’s pose.

There are six ways the femur can move in relation to the pelvis: These make up the largest ball and socket type joint in the body, capable of a wide range of motion. The bones of the hip are the head of the femur (the bulb at the top of the thigh bone) and pelvis. Some basic hip anatomy Bones and range of movement In this article we take a closer look at some basic hip anatomy and how we can use different yoga poses to target different areas of the hips for a healthy, balanced practice. While most yoga poses involve the muscles around the hips and pelvis in some way, hip openers are a specific group of asanas whose main anatomical function is to maintain and develop a healthy range of motion in the hips. Working on hip flexibility and stability can also improve lower back pain, balance, posture and prevent injuries in later life. Yoga is great for helping to relieve tension in this area.