5-Minute Yoga Before Bed to Unlock Tight Hips

So many people feel uncomfortable in their bodies and don’t know why. All they know is that their lower back hurts, their body feels stiff, that sitting for too long becomes uncomfortable, and that climbing stairs feels harder than it should. This leads to confusion and frustration with no apparent reason as to why.

But there are reasons – and one of the most common is tight hips.

Your hips are essential to almost everything you do. They help you walk, sit, stand, bend, twist and transmit force throughout your body. When they are restricted, other parts of the body absorb the fall (especially your lower back and knees).

If left unchecked, that tension will spread. And it’s not just physical. Many yoga practitioners believe that we also store stress and unresolved emotions in the hips. Although many of us have learned to push through rather than process, our hips continue to score.

5-minute yoga for tight hips to practice before bed

When you don’t spend the day in pain and discomfort, everything feels easier. You sleep better. You wake up less stiff. Even your mood improves.

This beginner-friendly practice is designed to help you relax, release tight hips and make your whole body feel more at ease before you go to sleep.

All it takes is 5 minutes.

1. Figure 4 Stretch

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart on the mat. Relax your arms at your sides. Take a few deep breaths.

Cross your right ankle over your left knee in a figure-4 shape. With your right hand, gently press your right thigh away from you. Stay here or draw both knees to your chest and clasp your hands around your left shin or the back of your left thigh. Breathe here. Then lower your left foot back to the mat.

2. Reclining Cow Face Pose

Cross your right calf over your left thigh. Pull both knees toward your chest and clasp your hands behind your left thigh in a variation of Figure 4. For a deeper hip stretch, grab the opposite big toes with your hands and pull your feet apart into the lying cow face pose. Breathe here.

3. Knee to chest

Lower your left foot to the mat and straighten your left leg. Pull your right knee towards your chest. Clasp your hands around your right shin and rotate your right ankle in one direction and then the other.

4. Supine spinal twist

Cross your right knee over your chest to your left side and keep your shoulders on the mat. Reach your right arm straight out to the side and rest your left hand on your right thigh in a supine position. Breathe here. Then return to the center.

Lower your right foot to the mat and cross your left ankle over your right thigh in a figure 4 shape. Repeat Figure 4, Reclining Cow Face Pose, knee to chest and supine position on the left side.

5. Knees to chest

Pull both knees toward your chest and clasp your hands around your shins or the backs of your thighs. Breathe here.

6. Happy Baby Pose

Keep your knees apart and pull them toward your sides as you grasp your outer feet or calves in Happy Baby.

7. Reclining Bound Corner Pose

Lower your legs to the mat and pull the soles of your feet together in the Reclined Bound Angle Pose. Place your hands on your body or rest your arms at your sides. Take a deep breath here through your nose and exhale through your mouth.