Tight hips are a problem many runners suffer from. Running involves the shortening of the hip flexor, the muscle at the front of your hip joint that pulls your leg up as you take a stride. If your hip flexors rarely get stretched out, this can lead to them becoming chronically shortened and uncomfortably tight. This can be exacerbated by long periods of sitting.
So it's great to have a go-to stretch that can release some of that tension and improve mobility. I've been running for 20-odd years and the pigeon stretch is my all-time favorite remedy for tight hips. I was introduced to it in yoga and Pilates classes, and found it helped with my perennially tight hips from running.
