Are You Hip Enough?

LOOSEN YOUR HIP MUSCLES TO LESSEN KNEE, SHOULDER, AND BACK PAIN.
Here are a few ways to stretch your hips!


Hip Lunges

How to do it: Bring your right foot forward in between your hands and reach the ball of your left foot back. Make sure your knee is stacked on top of your ankle. Allow your chest to reach forward and lift your fingers toward the ceiling.Focus on lifting your hipbones into your ribs. Repeat on other side.







Straight Leg Raise

How to do it: While lying on your back, keep one leg straight and one knee bent. Then lift the straight leg up about 12 inches. Hold it there for 2 seconds, and then slowly lower the leg. Remember to keep your leg as straight as possible. Repeat this 10 times.



Thread the Needle

How to do it: To begin, come onto your back with your knees bent and your thighs parallel and hip-distance apart. Next, cross your left ankle over your right thigh, Maintaining this alignment, pull your right knee in toward your chest, thread your left arm through the triangle between your legs and clasp your hands around the back of your right leg. With each exhale draw your right knee toward your chest. (Switch to other side when complete)




Bound Angle Pose

How to do it: Sit with your legs straight out in front of you. Exhale, bend your knees, pull your heels toward your pelvis, then drop your knees out to the sides and press the soles of your feet together. Bring your heels as close to your pelvis as you comfortably can. If it isn't possible to hold the toes, clasp each hand around the same-side ankle or shin. Stay in this pose anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes. Then inhale, lift your knees away from the floor, and extend the legs back to their original position.




Reclining Twist

How to do it: Lie on your back and bend the knees so that the feet rest on the floor. Inhale. As you exhale, bring the knees slowly to the chest so that the lower back remains firmly on the floor. Squeeze your knees together and drop them to the left, keeping your shoulders on the floor. The legs should be approximately at a 90-degree angle to the body, but experiment to find the position that maximizes the stretch in your outer hips (especially the right one). Repeat on the other side.