Yoga For Thight Hips

Your hips don’t lie but store and bury emotions. Yoga can unlock the secret to tight hips.

- Sharni Quinn

Many people experience the common problem of stiff and tight hips. Sitting at a desk for long periods of time or doing activities and sports that include running, cycling and jumping can stiffen the front hip flexors and make the outer hips tight.

However, having tight hips is not just related to physical tension.

Have you ever been to a hip-opening yoga class and wondered why you were filled with strange emotions either during or after the session? Your hips don’t lie; however, they do store and bury emotions. As we know, yoga is not just a physical practice but also unifies our body, mind and soul and encourages us to reach Samadi or bliss. It is quite incredible how our stress, fears and emotional traumas – our inner and outer experiences of everyday life – affect our physical body in the form of tightness, tension and various imbalances. Our hips are emotionally charged and the physical place in our body where we hang on to our attachments, and store our vulnerabilities and traumas (large and small).

Sometimes we rush through life, pretending that life is ok and all the while storing up more and more negative emotions in our body. We are too busy to stop and process what we are going through and because of this we don’t give ourselves the space, or permission, to actually feel and deal with our emotions. When life seems scary or difficult, this can show up as tightness in the hips because aside from our hips supporting us physically they are also connected with the two base Chakras and so are associated with your feeling safe and supported in the world.

FEAR OF THE PAST AND FUTURE. 

Often tight hips relate to not wanting to move forward or not letting go of the past. You may fear not living up to expectations (your own or those of others) or feel you must live a life that you ‘should’ be living.