Mindful Hip Opening and Strengthening Yoga
- Liquid Yoga
- Sep 11
- 8 min read
Hip strengthening and mindful mobility is a great way to work with the grounding energy of early autumn. We reconnect with the earth and find stability, but there's still a lot of energy available to move along and up and out too.
Hips in Yoga
As the largest joint in the body, the hips not only handle a lot of physical force but they are also a great energetic junction. Here we transfer the stability of the lower body into a little more softness and openness in the torso, as we also find the traditional seats of the muladara chakra (root energy centre) and the swadisthana chakra (sacral energy centre) in the area of the pelvis.
Energy of the Hips
The root chakra is associated with feeling supported, safe and nurtured whilst the sacral chakra is associated with creativity, emotion and self-expression. When we work well with both these energies, we feel supported and strong enough in ourselves to be ourselves and create our best work (whether that's in a traditional creative field or something more everyday like creating a welcoming home or a good team culture).
Try this hip opening and strengthening yoga sequence to connect your own grounding and creative energies. Let me know in the comments how you get on!
Mindful Hip opening and strengthening Yoga for early Autumn
Props required: Yoga mat, a block or a thick book, a yoga strap or belt (say off a dressing gown if you don't have a yoga specific one
1) Begin in Seated
On your mat, find a comfortable seated position, maybe with the block or thick book under the hips. As we're working with hip opening, I'd suggest sukhasana or easy cross legged pose with the ankles crossed and knees out to the side. If your hips aren't warmed up enough for this, try kneeling with the block under your sitting bones for support
2) Connect inwards
Close your eyes or soften your gaze and start to move inwards by first of all connecting to your sense of hearing. What sounds can you hear around you? Stay with these for a moment.
Then move in a bit further. Notice the edges of your body. Feel into your outsides.
Then move in a bit further again. Take your attention around your body and see what you can notice. It might be physical sensations, a sense of energy (or lack of) or even a sense of emotions or feelings. See if you can meet yourself with curiosity, and it's fine if you don't find much or it takes a while
3) Releasing with the breath
Take 3 breaths- in through your nose, completely and lightly, then out through your mouth, long and full. Sink down a bit more into the bottom of each exhale. Let tension melt from your body as you do so.
After 3 breaths, return to your natural rhythm
4) Hip warm up
Come to lie down on your back on the mat, soles of your feet down behind your hips. Pause here for a moment. Find your pelvis and shoulder blades heavy. Find your spine long and shoulders relaxed.
Then hug your knees into your chest. Squeeze in if it feels good. Rock and roll around. Pause in the centre and extend one leg, hugging the other in, take a few breaths, then swap legs and extend the opposite one out for a few more breaths.
5) Hip mobility
Bring both knees back into your chest, then taking each hand on the top of the corresponding knee, begin to circle the knees. Each knee should make its own circle; they come in towards one another at the centre line of your body and move out away from each other as they circle back out. Take at least 5 circles, then reverse for the same number.
Pause for a few breaths with the knees out to the side of the body, then gently draw them back to the centre and put your feet back down.
6) Front of hip opening with Bridge Pose
You will need your block/book within arm's reach.
Walk your heels in towards your hips as much as comfortable, about hips' width apart. Palms down by your sides. As you inhale, tilt your tailbone up, pressing into your feet and lifting your hips very slightly off the floor. Engage your glute muscles. Then as you exhale, carefully lower back down and relax. Repeat at least 5 times, increasing the range of motion if it feels OK (but a big lift up is not necessary, only enough to feel some stretch in the front of the pelvis/thighs).
When you've completed 5, on the next lift hold and then slide the block in under the hips. Lower your hips to rest comfortably and securely on the block/book (arrange it as necessary to feel supported). Take at least 5 breaths here.
To come out press into your feet and softly raise your hips again. Shuffle the prop out to one side with a hand, then very slowly lower back down and feel the back realigned with the mat.
7) Child's pose / Balasana
Take one arm overhead and roll over to your side, come to all fours, then decide how your hips are feeling. If they feel quite stretchy and open, take your knees towards the sides of the mat. If they want a bit more support, keep them closer into the mid line of the mat. Then bring your hips back to your heels and your forehead down towards the mat, using the block/book under your head if it feels more comfortable to reach down to.
Your arms can be out long in front, or resting back alongside your body. Take at least 5 breaths.
8) Tabletop & wrists
Find all fours again, and get a sense of your weight being equally distributed across your downwards points of support. Breathe into the length of your spine.
Rotate your upper body a few times in one direction over your wrists, which stay in position on the mat, making circles with your upper body and stretching the wrists. Repeat in the other direction. Then return to all fours.
9) Hip power moves
Variation 1- From all fours, lift one knee and hover it slightly in position. Then rotate the leg back, keeping a 90 degree bend in the knee. Find length along the front of the body, aligning the thigh and the torso. Engage the glute, engage the core, and hold. Point and flex the foot at least 5 times, then return the knee to hover, then release it down. Repeat on the other side.
Variation 2- Hover one knee, then rotate the leg backwards, keeping the bend in the knee. Hold, focusing on creating alignment and integrity in the hip and core. Flex the foot. Hold. Then rotate the knee out to the side from there, hold for at least 2 breaths. Rotate the knee back in, then down to hover, then release it down. Repeat on the other side.
10) Downward Facing Dog / Adho Mukha Svanasana
From all fours, spread your fingers wide, tuck your toes and hover your knees off the mat. Lift your hips up and back to find downwards dog. Find length and power between the heels of your hands, shoulders and lower back. Bend your knees any amount to help you to do this. You can also walk out the backs of your legs by bending one knee and then the other. Take at least 3 breaths there, then come back to all fours.
11) Anjaneyasana with front hip stretch
Bring one foot forward between your hands. With hands still on the mat, tuck your tailbone forwards as you did when coming into bridge pose earlier. Feel the stretch in the front of the hip on the side where your knee is on the floor. Then rise up with your upper body, keeping the tailbone forward and feeling the stretch. Holding the hips strong in this position, inhale and raise your arms up and back, palms facing one another, looking up to your hands. Take a couple of breaths, then on an exhale bring the hands all the way back down to the mat. Step the front foot back to all fours. Repeat on the other side.
12) Lunge and Warrior 2
From all fours, step one foot forwards between your hands. Tuck your back toes and lift your back knee for lunge. Pause here, really activating that back leg. Turn your back foot 90 degrees, so your toes are facing the nearest long edge of the mat. Then power into the front foot to raise your upper body, keeping a bend in your front knee. Bring your torso upright and back leg straight and activated. Draw your arms up at shoulder height, hands stretched out away from one another over your legs. Palms facing down, look over the middle finger on the side of your bent knee. Activate your glutes, lifting your tailbone forwards whilst drawing your inner thighs away from one another. Hold for 5 breaths at least. Then sweep your hands down either side of your bent knee, find lunge again and then back to all fours. Repeat on the other side.
13) Dandasana and Janu Sirsasana
From all fours, swing your legs round to seated. Have your belt and block/book nearby.
Extend both legs out in front. You can sit on the block/book or keep a slight bend in your knees if your hamstrings are tight. Take your hands down towards the floor alongside your hips. Sit upright, flex your feet and activate your legs for dandasana (seated staff pose).
Draw on knee in towards you, foot on the floor. Support the knee with your hands as you allow it to fall out to the side, and bring the foot into your inner thigh. If you're not already using the block/book, you can use it support under the side of your knee (or grab a cushion etc in addition if needed).
Grab your belt by the ends and loop it over your extended flexed foot. Shuffle side to side on your hips so you feel like you are resting on the front of your sitting bones. Inhale here and find length in your spine. Exhale to send your tailbone backwards and hinge forwards from the hips, nose towards the flexed toes. Walk your hands down the belt any amount to find a pull between the arms and the foot. Take a couple of breaths, gently coming back upright on an inhale. Use your hands to return the bent knee to the centre and then to dandasana. Repeat on the other side.
14) Seated Nadi Shodhana
Take your seat once again. If your hips feel very open and comforatble now you can try Siddhasana, knees out to the side and heels lining up into the centre of the pelvis. If not, take crossed ankles or kneeling- either is good.
Inhale to grow tall, exhale to relax and find support.
Take your mudra with your right hand- first and middle finger extend to the eyebrow centre, you cover your right nostril with your thumb. Inhale through your left nostril, then close the nostril with your ring finger. Lift your thumb and exhale through your right nostril.
Inhale through your right nostril, place your thumb back over it, and lift your ring finger. Exhale through your left nostril. This is one round, repeat for at least another 4 rounds if you can.
Finally, release the mudra and find stillness for a few moments
15) Supine Twist
Lying on your back with your feet on the mat behind your hips, take your knees from side to side. Choose your pace and how big (or small) you want to make the movement.
Pause on one side, bringing the outer knee down to the mat or the support of your block / book. Take a few breaths here, perhaps extending your arms and turning your head in the opposite direction. Draw everything back to the centre, then repeat, pausing on the other side this time.
16) Savasana
Extend your legs long and your arms alongside your body. Close your eyes if it feels ok and let your body become softer and heavier. Feel the support of the ground below you. Feel the length of your body. Take a few minutes here to end your practice.
Did it? Enjoyed it? let me know what you think!
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