Hip opening yoga is a common yoga practice topic. I always hear yoga teachers say that hip opening is very important. Practicing hip opening has many benefits, but what kind of help can practicing hip opening yoga bring to us? What exactly is the effect of hip opening? Will hip opening make your butt bigger and wider? How to open the hip correctly? Are the above questions the thoughts that flash through your mind when practicing hip-opening yoga? Today I will take you step by step to understand the benefits of hip opening to the body and the 3 things you need to know before practicing hip opening.

3 things to note when practicing yoga to open your hips

1. Keep your pelvis in a straight position
   In yoga asana practice, there are many hip-opening postures, such as pigeon pose, frog pose, butterfly pose, lizard pose, etc. In all exercises, attention must be paid to the alignment of the pelvis to effectively stretch the hip muscles. If the pelvis is out of alignment, pelvic tilt may occur.
2. Hip closing exercises
   Will hip opening make the butt wider? This is the doubt in the hearts of many people! Many people worry about whether the hip opening will make the pelvis and buttocks wider, and worry that the back and pelvis will become looser and scattered with more practice. At this time, you can add some simple hip-closing postures after hip-opening exercises to keep the body’s joints balanced. This can also enhance the flexibility of the hip and pelvis! For example, cow face pose, eagle pose, seated spinal twist pose, etc. can be used as hip closing exercises after hip opening.
3. Learn to exert force correctly
   In hip opening exercises, what we need to practice is the flexibility of the hips, rather than excessive pursuit of stretching. Therefore, when doing hip-opening yoga, it is also necessary to activate the hip and leg muscles. The muscles need to be exerted appropriately instead of completely relaxed. Flexibility and strength need to be balanced. If there is an imbalance, it can easily cause hip strain.

3 hip-opening yoga moves

After reading the above-mentioned hip-opening precautions, I will teach you three simple yoga hip-opening movements. When practicing, remember to practice within your ability and do not pursue excessive hip-opening range.

Butterfly pose

The butterfly pose can relax the hip joints and correct pelvic tilt very well. It is very suitable for office workers who sit for a long time. Girls can also do the butterfly pose more during menstruation to relieve menstrual pain.

Butterfly steps:

1. Sit on the yoga mat with your knees bent and your feet touching each other. Hold your feet with both hands and keep your back straight. Do not hunch your head or bow your head.
2. Keep your feet as close to yourself as possible. If you feel your hip joints are tight, you can sit on a yoga brick or place yoga bricks under your knees for assistance.

Pigeon pose

In addition to helping us open our hip joints, pigeon pose can also improve sciatic nerve pain and leg edema. It is very suitable for relaxing after exercise and practicing before going to bed.

Pigeon pose steps:

1. Start with a low lunge, let your buttocks sit down slowly, return your pelvis to the upright position, and rotate your back thigh inwards.
   
2. Lower the front leg slowly, trying to keep the calf of the front leg parallel to the front edge of the mat.
   
3. You can straighten your upper body upwards, or you can choose to stretch forward and stay to complete the pigeon pose.
   
4. If you feel that your hips are tight and cannot touch the ground, you can place yoga bricks under the thighs of your front legs.

Lizard pose

The last one is the lizard pose. The lizard pose is a good hip-opening pose, which can effectively promote blood circulation in the hip and help prevent pelvic related diseases. It is a must-learn yoga pose for girls. In addition, Lizard Pose is often placed before Monkey Pose as a warm-up pose. Practitioners who want to unlock Monkey Pose can also try it more often.

Lizard pose steps:

1. Enter into the four-legged kneeling position or downward dog pose, step one foot forward to the outside of the hand on the same side, and pay attention to keeping the body in a neutral position.
   
2. Push the ground with both hands, allowing the sides of the shoulders to unfold naturally without shrugging. Try to keep the back as straight as possible without arching the back or slumping the waist.
   
3. With the straight back leg, you can choose to straighten it off the ground or bend your knees and let your knees fall to the ground to complete the lizard pose.

After reading the above 3 things to note when practicing yoga and 3 hip-opening yoga movements, do you have a deeper understanding of “hip opening”? Remember that any yoga practice must be within a safe and tolerable range, maintain body balance, and practice appropriately. Remember that yoga practice should not only pursue postures and effects. As a yoga practitioner, you should also learn to balance the body and mind. I hope everyone can grow physically and mentally during yoga practice!