I will never stop preaching to everyone that THEY NEED TO DO SOME YOGA. I do a daily practice, but even 2-3 times a week can be EXTREMELY beneficial for your muscles, bones, organs, breath, and focus. It is also great for calming and easing of the mind. I will have a series of posts on this blog going in depth into different areas of the body and which stretches and poses would be good for that particular area. In this post I will be talking about different hip opening stretches you can include in your stretch routine or yoga practice. Let me remind you-a yoga practice or sequence can be as short as 5 minutes or up to 1 hour long. I typically like to practice for about 30- 45 minutes each day. Of course there are days where I want to do less or maybe I want to do more. It is all about preference and practice with Yoga. Do not force anything! Again, if any of these stretches feel uncomfortable, make sure you are in the proper position, and if that doesn't help discontinue. It is not beneficial if it is painful. Everyone's body is different and we all have different strengths and weaknesses. So take it slow and breath deep into each stretch. The first hip opener pose I recommend is, 1. Kapotasana (Pigeon Pose) This pose has many benefits such as stretching out the hip flexors, hip rotator, gluteal, hamstrings, and piriformis muscles. It increased blood flow to the hip area and helps to alleviate lower back pain. 2. Ananda Balasana (Happy baby pose) Lie on the ground on your back, open your legs and grab your ankles, arches of your feet, or your big toes. Try to get your knees as close to the ground as you can. This is my personal favorite hip opening stretch. I can't get through my day without doing this stretch. This releases the lower back and the sacrum. It also opens the hips, inner thighs, and groin. This stretch is known to be amazing for the digestive system. There are easier variations if you cant grab your feet all of the way, grab your calf, or the back of your knee. With practice you will get where you need to be. 3. Baddha Konasana ( Butterfly pose) This pose is easy yet effective and very relaxing! Good for the hips, glutes, quads, and lower back. Stretch as far as you can until your elbows reach the floor. Breath into your quads and hips. These are 3 basic beginner hip opening stretches that you can do on the daily to help the condition of your hips! Stay tuned for more hip and other body stretches in future posts!
Yoga changed my life, let it change yours!
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I start off each day with a yoga practice. I also try to end each day with a few sequences as well. Doing this has had such a positive impact on my health. I feel more spiritually and mentally uplifted and more energized. I also do not have those random muscle pains as often. There are many different types of yoga and yoga poses, so it is easy to customize your practice to fit your needs and what is comfortable to you. I have been able to do this for myself over time with lots of at home practices on YouTube, and also going to classes at my local rec center. Practices are very relaxing and is the perfect time to stretch and tone your muscles with body weight workouts. Doing something for your body at least once a day is essential for good health. Yoga and/or Pilates is a great way to get started on a fitness journey that you have been wanting to start. This is great for total body and mind health. AND YOU DON'T EVEN NEED A GYM OR EQUIPMENT! Just grab a yoga mat and get started. I will link a great YouTube channel for Yoga and Pilates down below..... Videos are typically 15-30 minutes long and a variety of practices that focus on different areas in the body or vary in difficulty, it's your choice! This channel is called BohoBeautiful and it is a mainly yoga and travel channel. It is a channel about a man and woman that travel and film yoga and inspirational videos. I love the positive words they always have to share and their way of life is so inspirational! I definitely recommend checking out their channel and/or their website https://bohobeautiful.life/ . You will for sure be inspired. |