Yoga for hips and hamstrings can improve balance and posture by stretching and strengthening the muscles and joints in your legs. Stretching the hips and hamstrings can help relieve backache, sciatica and menstrual discomfort. Yoga poses that emphasize the hips and hamstrings can also improve digestion and cardiovascular functioning.
Reclining Big Toe Pose
The reclining big toe pose stretches your hips and hamstrings. Lie face up with your legs firmly straightened against the floor. Bend your left knee, and lift your thigh toward your torso. Loop a strap around the arch of your left foot. Hold the strap with both hands, then inhale and straighten your left leg by pressing the heal straight up. Walk your hands up the strap until your arms are fully extended while pressing your shoulder blades against the floor. Fully extend your leg upward, then push your toes up and pull your leg slightly toward your head. Hold for one to three minutes, and repeat with the opposite leg.
Standing Forward Bend
Stand straight up with your hands on your hips, then bend forward from your hips as much as possible. Focus on lengthening the front of your torso as you bend forward. Press your heels into the floor while pushing your sitting bones upward. Lower your hands to the floor or your ankles. Lift and lengthen the front of your torso slightly every time you inhale, and release more fully into the bend when you exhale. Let you head hang, and hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds. Come up while lengthening the front of your torso as you inhale, or move from a standing forward bend into warrior III.
Warrior Pose III
Get into a standing forward bend position, then step back with your left foot into a high lunge. Extend your arms forward, parallel to the floor and parallel to each other with palms facing each other. Straighten your right leg as you straighten and lift your left leg parallel with the floor. Press your right heel into the floor and avoid swinging your torso forward. Point the back leg firmly away from your body, and reach firmly in the opposite direction with your hands. Lift your head up slightly, and look forward without compressing the back of your neck. Hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds, and repeat with the opposite side.
Heron Pose
Sit on the floor with your legs together and extended in front of your torso. Bend your right knee up, and raise your thigh up against your torso with your right foot flat on the floor. Bend the left knee to fold the left leg down with the top of the foot resting on the floor next to your hip. Lean back slightly while maintaining length in the front of your torso. Straighten and raise your left leg diagonally to the floor until your foot is as high as your head. Hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds, then repeat with your left leg.
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