Practicing yoga consists of assuming positions that use gravity and your body weight to improve your balance, flexibility and body strength, while simultaneously developing your physical and mental health. If you want to improve the flexibility of your hips, yoga may be a solution. However, some yoga postures are better than others when it comes to stretching and adding flexibility to the leg, hip and abdominal muscles responsible for range of motion in your hips.
Warrior Poses
There are actual several warrior poses in yoga practice, known in English as warrior one, warrior two, and so on. All warrior poses practice the same basic stance: standing with your feet aligned looking over one bent knee. That knee is bent to 90 degrees while the opposite leg remains straight and apart. As your weight moves with the knee bend, this stretches the muscles in the groin and opposite hip. Variations among the warrior poses are based on the position of your upper body while performing the posture.
Lunges
Not all yoga postures are irretrievably exotic. Yoga lunges look just like the lunges you performed in gym class or on the track team. In a lunge, you assume a pushup position, then move one foot up until it is parallel with your hands. By rocking your body forward, pushing your hips towards the ground, or both, you stretch the muscles in your groin, hamstrings and outer hips. Yoga postures include both high and low lunge positions. The low lunge places the knee of your extended leg on the ground to produce a deeper stretch.
Lotus Pose
The lotus pose is one of the most iconic yoga positions: sitting erect on your bottom with your legs folded so both feet rest atop the opposite thighs. Although it also stretches the legs, buttocks and lower back, this stretch significantly works the muscles on all sides of your hip joints as well. If you're not up to a full lotus pose, you can do a half lotus with just one foot perched. The other sits beneath your leg like normal cross-legged sitting.
Lord of the Dance Pose
This is one of the more challenging and impressive poses in the yoga arsenal. When performing the lord of the dance, you stand on one leg while lifting the other leg backward and upward like the tail of a scorpion. Reach behind you with one hand to grip the foot of that leg, and hold the posture. As you might imagine, this builds --- and requires --- impressive flexibility throughout the hip and surrounding area. When you first attempt this posture, do it near a wall or bar you can use for balance.
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