have tight hips. I began doing yoga nearly every day since the world shut down during quarantine in March 2020. I made a video for a hip-opening yoga sequence that works for me but I am remaking it because I filmed it on a laptop and didn’t execute it as elegantly as I would have liked. So I began doing this because Golds Gym closed down in March 2020, reopened for a bit in June 2020, and then it closed down again in July 2020.
Between March and August, I’ve probably done by now at least a hundred yoga videos on YouTube and one online yoga class on Zoom. I was not an expert on yoga, but I made this when I was at a point where I knew almost all the poses and the difference between revolved and extended poses. And at the time I preferred doing yoga from home because I could watch myself practice from my laptop’s webcam in my 300 feet² (28 meters²) apartment, so I recorded some of the results.
Yoga for Tight Hips
So here is my hip opening yoga sequence, yoga for tight hips:
1. Malasana
Have your legs all the way down. Feet are on the floor and place your hands in prayer position.
2. “Revolved Malasana”
This is something that really helps loosen the hips, each hand will reach upward and look towards the hand. The knees will be placed on the floor before we transition to camel.
3. Camel Pose
One hand will be placed towards the feet, one hand will be placed upward. Camel transitions to Table Top pose before Downward Dog.
4. Downward Dog
Camel will transition to the front moving the arms over on each side of Downward Dog.
5. Wild Thing
Do Downward Dog and Wild Thing consecutively. In other words, go from Downward Dog to Wild Thing and back to Downward Dog and over to Wild Thing. For Wild Thing, flip the arms and legs from each side over. Then bend the knee and reach the arm past the head. Look towards the hand.
6. Reverse Plank
For the best transition, Wild Thing should go to Staff Pose before Reverse Plank.
7. Shoulder Stand
Reverse Plank transitions to Shoulder Stand by laying on the back and with the glutes on the floor.
8 Warrior 2
Shoulder Stand transitions to Easy Pose before standing up for Warrior 2.
9 Extended Triangle
Warrior 2 and Triangle will be done together on each side.
10. Chair
The arms will move forward before squatting forward and reach up with the arms straight. Look at the hands.
11. Prasarita / Wide-legged forward fold
The hands will be placed on the ankles when lowering down. Stand up with the legs wide apart for Prasarita. The arms can grab the ankles.
12. Tree Pose
Stand and bring the legs in close. Hands go into prayer for Tree Pose. It isn’t necessary to adjust the feet but I do. Wherever they land, that will be as high as they go. Tree (last pose) can transition to Mountain pose and down to Yogi Squat if repeated.