Hip Strengthening Practice
Try this balanced yoga practice for the hips that includes both strengthening and stretching poses for the full range of motion in the hip: flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, and rotation. This practice is simple but fairly strong, so make sure that your hips are ready for the challenge.
When our hips feel stiff, stretching them out seems like a good idea, but this is generally not the best course of action. Usually, your hips feel stiff or painful for one of three reasons.
I did this practice today, and enjoyed it. I did find myself craving a deeper adductor stretch, like malasana or baddha konasana. Many classes that I take focus heavily on stretching the adductors, the piriformis, and externally rotating the hips. So maybe I’ve gotten too used to that feeling?
Hi Debbie, glad you enjoyed it! The focus of this practice is on hip strengthening, which means that I didn’t include deep hip stretches, because they can be destabilizing. May be you are used to those, and may be you need them – it’s up to you to decide 🙂 Here is how I decide for myself. If at the end of the practice my hips feel stiff and uncomfortable – I didn’t do enough; if they feel stable, the movement is easy and there is spring in my step – I did just enough; if they feel like noodles – I overdid it. It’s always useful to evaluate how that “stretchy” feeling we get translates into our movement in day-to-day life.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the answer to my every question and current piriformis challenge. You have helped me so, so much!! Thank you again.
Thank you Colette; great to hear that!
After this yoga practice I realize my right hip is extremely weak. I knew it was tight. But weak muscles have never been a concern of mine since I have exercised my entire life, I have been in physical therapy for months to correct chronic pain in my lower right back, right hip, and groin area. After using a method to correct a” lateral shift” I was mostly pain free in my back and groin but a new kind of pain and buckling occurred in my hip. However after just a week doing this practice I feel more balanced, looser, and stronger in my abductor and adductor. Hopefully this is the answer to my problems. A BIG THANK YOU!!!!
Hi Dawn! It’s great to hear that you uncovered another piece of this intricate puzzle called “the body” 🙂 I hope that this will bring you closer to more balanced, stronger and looser hips!!
I absolutely love this practice (though I find it pretty strong!) Thank you for sharing it 🙂
Thank you For this practise Olga. I really enjoyed the combination of stretching and strengthening the hips. As I have Ostepenia in the neck of my left femur I m presuming it’s ok and beneficial to do this practice? It feels good after doing it!
Thank you again, I love your very interesting articles and then supporting with practices.
This class is still one of my favorites, by pelvis feel stable, strong. like you say “spring in my step”
Thank you Olga!