Psoas Stretch + Release

What do tight hips need?  

Well, a lot of things! But one commonly overlooked aspect is hip joint rotation. Rotation is the missing link for many people and their hip (and lower back) tension. 

Your hip joints need to move in a variety of ways, not just flexion and extension. They are a ball and socket joint which means that they are able to move in all sorts of wonderful directions and the more you move your hips within their various ranges, the happier they will be. 

*Read the rest of the article below the video

How to Keep Your Psoas + Hip Flexors Happy

One of the overlooked movements when it comes to tight hips and tight psoas muscles is rotation. There's internal and external rotation of the hip joints but there is also rotation of the lumbar spine (lower back) that helps relieve accumulated tension. 

The psoas muscles connect from your lumbar spine, cross in front of your pelvis and connect down to your femur bone. 

You can see in the image that if you rotate your spine, you'll be moving your psoas muscles. And if you rotate your spine while having your leg in extension (your leg out behind you) means that you'll target your psoas muscles even more!

Now that you have a better idea of why moving your hip joints and adding in rotation is better for your body, watch the video to see the simple stretches that we are doing that will help to make your psoas muscles feel great. 

Foundations of Healthy Hips and Psoas Muscles

• Move and mobilize your hip joints in all sorts of various ways. This stretch is another great way to get into those sticky spots in your psoas and hip joints!

• Move and stretch your hips more often. Once in a while isn't enough to see a difference in the long-term health of your hips. If you sit for extended periods of time or do the same activity frequently, it's important to add in little stretch breaks more often. Even doing these stretches once a day can make a difference. 

Yoga Homework!

Did you know that we also have a Learn section in the Heart + Bones online studio? Yes! Access workshops, tutorials, tips and classes all applied anatomy for yoga, in addition to movement and yoga classes that integrate this loving and supportive approach. Your mind, joints and muscles will feel so loved.