This 15-minute yoga sequence from Yoga With Adriene is the perfect remedy for tight hips. Combining gentle stretching and muscle activation, this restorative hip release practice will bring mobility and ease of movement to these joints.
The sequence is billed as a morning hip release, and while it would certainly be a lovely way to begin your day, you could also give it a go at other times of day. I plan to use it in the evening after a long day sitting at my desk, and I may try it after a run when my hips are feeling particularly tight from the repetitive movements of running.
With more than 12 million subscribers, Yoga With Adriene is hands down the most popular yoga YouTube channel, and for good reason. Adriene Mischler's mellow, friendly teaching style combined with well-planned sequences make her restorative yoga videos a joy to follow. I enjoy her easygoing and spontaneous approach and always come away from a session feeling deeply relaxed, with a sense of balance restored.
Watch the video and follow along with Mischler and her dog, Benji. There are no standing poses in this sequence, all the poses are down on the mat (Adriene uses a Manduka mat), and there's nothing too complicated or intense here. "Take some time for yourself today. A little goes a long way," says Mischler, and taking just 15 minutes for these gentle stretches will make a big difference to how your hips and lower back feel.
How to do the routine
The sequence begins with some grounding breathwork seated on the mat, and in her usual tranquil way Mischler guides us through the sequence, including a little comedy improv with Benji the dog, who can't decide if he wants to sit on the mat or not.
Proceeding at an easy pace with a couple of cat-cows to warm up and then some gentle activating movements to wake up the muscles around your hips, Mischler then leads you through some hip stretches, including 90-90 and figure four stretches, taking it one side at a time, helping you notice if we need more attention on one side than the other. She encourages you to "breathe love and awareness into that hip".
There's a lovely release and massage for the lower back as you lie on your back and rock from side to side holding your feet in a crossed-legged position.
The glute bridge towards the end of the sequence gives a lovely stretch at the front of the hips and also activates the glutes and all the muscles along the back of the legs, preparing your legs for movement, rather than leaving them too relaxed and floppy.
"Every end is a new beginning," says Mischler, and the end of this short hip-releasing sequence should bring a new feeling of flexibility and freedom in your hips, whatever you're doing next.
If you're left wanting more, try these yoga stretches for beginners.
Need help deciding which mat to buy? Our guide to the best yoga mats can help.
