Hip openers have quickly become one of the most popular types of yoga poses.
Naturally, women usually find hip openers more suitable for their practice as females are typically more flexible than men. However, it’s also normal for all yogis to have a love/hate relationship with hip opener postures.
There are many yoga poses that help with opening or stretching the hips. Some hip openers are quite simple, and others can offer a much higher degree of difficulty. Regardless of your skill level, you should be able to find a hip opener that will work for your practice.
Standard hip openers that you may find in many classes would include Lizard Pose, Pigeon Pose, Malasana Pose, Wide Legged Forward Fold, Mermaid Pose and others.
Benefits Of Hip Openers
Opening the hips can have a dramatic effect on our daily lives. Our hips involve over 20 muscles and most of us do a pretty good job of ignoring them most of the time.
When our hips are stretched or opened, simple everyday tasks can become much easier. For example, increasing flexibility in the hips can make it much easier to bend forward and retrieve an item from the ground. Increasing hip flexibility can also help reduce tension and stress on the lower back and spine.
Hip openers can be especially helpful for people who spend their day seated at a desk. Sitting in a chair can shorten and tighten the hip flexors leading to less flexibility.
Many yogis also believe that the hips store emotional stress and tension, therefore hip openers may help both emotionally and physically. The hips are also connected to the 2nd Chakra and may help you to explore your sensual side.