Hips feel tight? These 5 exercises help release tension

If you are a person in a body, you need hip openers. As with many aches and pains, such as hunched shoulders and neck tension, tight hip flexors are a common result of days, weeks and years of your life spent sitting.

And it’s not just sitting that causes this. Walking, running, climbing stairs, hiking and more can lead to excited hips. This is important because these muscles, including the hip flexors and the rectus femoris, iliacus and psoas, contribute to your stability, mobility and posture.

TLDR: The last thing you want is for your hips to feel stuck and static.

Fortunately, hip opener practices come in many styles and approaches, allowing you to find the perfect class (or stand-alone pose) for you. Think of these postures as a counterbalance to the shapes you find yourself in throughout your daily life. So find what works for you and let the letting go begin!

Hip openers: 5 yoga exercises to release tension

In addition to the physical benefits, hip openers can help release pent-up emotions and even stimulate creativity, according to yoga teachings. Discover how you’ll feel both physically and mentally after you start prioritizing your hip health.

1. 15-minute Yin Yoga to release hip tension

This yin yoga flow asks you to find stillness while giving your hips room to loosen up. Yoga teacher Katie McGrath helps you spend a little extra time on each pose to release lingering tension, especially if you practice it regularly.

Try this hip opening exercise.

2. 7 Ways to Practice Hip Openers That Intensify the Stretch

Yoga teacher Viresh Nidanchi’s interpretation of hip openers involves a dynamic approach. This exercise encourages extra movement as you assume each pose, resulting in a playfulness that works well with the hip opening.

Try this hip opening exercise.

3. 15-minute hip opening stretches

For a reliable hip-opening exercise that fits well around any gaps in your schedule, try this short but effective class from Yoga With Kassandra. The beginner-friendly flow helps increase energy in the morning, stretch the hips after training, or release pent-up tension before bed for a better night’s sleep.

Try this hip opening exercise.

4. 5 Hip flexors stretch to relieve pain

Releasing your hips doesn’t have to be a complicated undertaking. If you don’t have time to practice fully, look for standalone poses that ease tightness. This is an effective option.

Try this hip opening exercise.

5. 12 poses to relax your tight hips

More poses, please! These shapes are arranged to function as a flow, but yoga teacher Charnette Batey suggests using the shapes that feel good in your body at any given time.

Try this hip-opening yoga exercise.