Hello Warriors, have I got a treat for you! A hip opening yoga sequence that is completely seated. With a video! Once you learn the poses and your own breath pace, this sequence should only take about ten minutes.

I think we can all agree that we have done a lot of sitting in the past year and a half. Hey, it’s a Covid world and we are (unfortunately) living in it. Many of us have been managing work from home duties, not to mention the challenges of remote learning for the littles. Which has resulted in a lot of sitting.

Sitting for extended periods of time places the musculature around the hips in a very particular position. Namely, the hip flexors along the front of our legs end up shortened while the extensors along our rear ends end up extended. Obviously our hips are made to move this way. In fact, if they didn’t we would not be able to walk. But placing the body in this position for extended periods of time creates imbalances.

Our hips are basically the transfer station in our bodies. Force and power that we produce via our legs travels through our hips, up and out to the torso and upper limbs. If imbalances in the hip exist, though, our bodies aren’t able to transfer those forces as efficiently. We might first notice this as tightness in the hip flexors. Or trouble getting up from said seated positions.

Regardless, hip opening yoga postures are meant to stretch, extend, contract, and gently move all the muscles surrounding the hips. This helps restore balance and proper function to this area. Completing postures sitting down actually allows the body to use the ground more advantageously. The postures chosen for this sequence are beginner friendly and I show many modifications. Please keep in mind that your flexibility needs are yours and should be honored; please don’t push your body past a comfortable resistance. Also note, that for sided poses, your right and left sides may have different needs and abilities (which many also change day to day). Don’t work to try and “even things out,” attend to each side as needed.