Finding a sympathetic ear when lamenting your tight hips is not difficult. Hip tightness is a common modern ailment that affects many adults regularly alongside lower back pain and knee discomfort. There might be a wide variety of triggers for aches and pains. Sitting for long periods of time at work, on public transportation, while watching television, etc., is a reality for many individuals.

Hip discomfort is often attributed to sitting for long periods of time each day. As a result of prolonged sitting, hip muscles become permanently contracted. Because of this, they may become extremely close in time. Aside from the obvious discomfort, tightness can hinder your performance in other forms of exercise. For example, if your hips are very tight, this may limit your ability to squat or lunge deeply or take comfortable strides when running. When your front hip flexors are tight, your glutes have to work harder to do their job, which increases the load on other muscles (such the low back) and the likelihood of injury.

Yoga, and particularly hip stretches, can be helpful for releasing stiffness in the hips. The hips are a key area that should be addressed in any complete yoga practice. Even if you try to tune out the focus on your hips during a yoga session, you will inevitably feel some discomfort. According to fitness experts, the key to successfully targeting the hips is carefully arranging a class in a way that warms up the body and provides enough stretching and strengthening of the muscles surrounding the hips.

However, it is very important to remember that not only should we focus on postures that stretch our hips, but we must also strengthen our hamstrings and gluteal muscles, as well as lengthen our inner leg muscles and front sides of our legs to support the entire hip joint.

The following yoga poses will assist you achieve your goal. Standing yoga postures, for example, can be done whenever you feel like your tight hips could benefit from some stretching or after every workout as a part of your cool-down, but how often you perform them is up to you and your body. If you want to get better results from working on your tight hips, choose exercises that do more than just stretch them.

High Crescent Lunge (Utthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana).

Start in a staggered stance, with your feet almost a mat's width apart, by stepping forward with your left foot.

Keep your rear leg straight and your heel off the ground while you raise your front knee. To improve your balance, you should try bending your leading leg such that your thigh is parallel to the ground.

Bring your hips in toward the front of your body.

To increase the stretch in your hip flexors, press your feet firmly into the mat and raise your arms above your head.

Keep that position for at least five breaths before switching sides and doing it again.

It's worth noting quickly that some teachers may have slightly different ideas on how to evaluate lunge variations than others. High Lunge is another term for a similar position in which the hands are put on the floor beside the front leg; some people use this term to avoid confusion with Crescent Lunge.

lengthens the hamstrings and groin muscles.

The Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)

Drop your back knee to the floor from a high lunge, maintaining your back leg straight and your shin flat on the mat.

Keep that position for at least five breaths before switching sides and doing it again.

lengthens the hamstrings and groin muscles.

The Lizard Pose (Utthan Pristhasana)

Begin in a low lunge position and bring your left foot to the outer edge of your yoga mat. Set both hands on the ground on the inside of your left foot.

If that's a comfortable challenge for you, hold on for a while. Put your forearms on the floor for a more intense stretch.

Roll out onto the edge of your left foot, allowing your knee to expand away from your body, for an even deeper stretch. The left hand should be used to gently press the left knee away from the body while the right hand remains on the floor for support.

Keep that position for at least five breaths before switching sides and doing it again.

This is a slight modification of Lizard Pose that targets the gluteus medius and other outer hip (adductor) muscles.

Lizard Pose Twist

You can open your chest to the left by rolling onto your right quad from Lizard Pose.

Put your left hand on the inside of your right foot while bending your right knee.

Keep that position for at least five breaths before switching sides and doing it again.

This form of Lizard Pose targets the outside hip (adductor) muscles such the gluetus medius in addition to the hip flexors and quads.

Hero Posture (Virabhadrasana )

Get down on your hands and knees, keeping your legs straight and the soles of your feet facing down.

Spread your toes and press the tops of your feet evenly into the mat, making sure your feet are wider apart than your hips.

Calmly lower yourself to the mat between your feet and sit down. If your knees or hips start to hurt from doing this, try propping up your tailbone with a block (as shown).

To make room for your legs, turn the tops of your thighs inward with your palms and roll your calves outward. Place your hands gently on your thighs.

Ideally, you'd hold for the duration of five deep breaths.

Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)

When on all fours (the tabletop position), bring your right knee in front of your left and then your knees should form a straight line.

Relax your hips into the mat between your feet by opening your knees. Try sitting on a blanket or a block to even out your hips if one is higher than the other.

If the current position is a comfortable hip stretch, you may wish to maintain it. Fold forward over your thighs and reach your arms out in front of you, pressing your hands into the mat if you feel you can go deeper. If you need to fold forward, put a block in front of your legs to support your head.

Keep that position for at least five breaths before switching sides and doing it again.

Specifically targets the gluteus medius and other outside hip (abductor) muscles.

Half Pigeon Pose (Ardha Kapotasana)

To come into Downward-Facing Dog, lift your left leg overhead and place it in front of you, shin parallel to the top of the mat.

Lie on your right side and extend your right leg behind you. Just put the ball of your foot down on the ground.

Make sure your left foot stays flexed. The closer your right hip can stay to the mat, the better. In the event that your left foot begins to rise off the ground, move it closer to your torso.

For the next three breaths, maintain a standing position. Then, lay face down on the floor and take five deep breaths.

Switch legs and do it again.

Specifically targets the gluteus medius and other outside hip (abductor) muscles.

Supine Pigeon(Supta Kapotasana)

Spread your feet out flat on the floor and lie on your back.

Do a crucifix with your left foot over your right thigh.

Pick up your right foot off the ground. Take hold of the right leg's back and draw it in close to your body.

You should pause at the point where you feel a good stretch.

Keep that position for at least five breaths before switching sides and doing it again.

Specifically targets the gluteus medius and other outside hip (abductor) muscles.

By Dr. Sepi Sefy PhD whom specialises in Herbal Medicine of Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese & Western Herbal Medicine, alongside of Yoga, Nutrition and Phytotherapy.