Yoga Asanas for Hip Stablization & Strength

Get hip -- with yoga asanas that improve both strength and stability for healthier hips. Hips are the hub where the lower body joins the torso, propels it through space and allows you to -- gracefully and painlessly -- sit, stand, sprint, bend forward and back and pop into Lotus pose for daily meditation. Injury to hip muscles restricts mobility and causes excruciating discomfort. Working hip muscles to keep them toned and in top condition means targeting extensors -- including the glutes; flexors -- including the iliopsoas; adductors and abductors that move the leg sideways; and external and internal rotators that turn the legs. Warm up before tackling yoga poses that target your hips for a head-start on hip fitness. A yoga warm-up with forward and back pelvic tilts, and sun salutations with Mountain pose, lunges, forward bends and Downward-Facing Dogs, delivers asanas that stretch and strengthen your hips.

  1. Inside Job

    • Chair pose helps with pelvic placement. Begin in Mountain pose, put hands on hips, feet hip-width apart, bend both knees and let your butt stick out, tilting your pelvis forward. Lengthen the spine and extend both arms to the ceiling, feeling the stretch in your torso and engaging core muscles to hold the position steadily for five calm breaths.

    Lounge Lizard

    • Lunge into Lizard pose for psoas and hip flexors. Place both hands inside the forward right leg in lunge and bring the left knee to the mat. Lower down onto forearms – use blocks if you need them – and tuck your tailbone under. Look forward as you breathe five to eight times, then change sides.

    Take a Stand

    • To stabilize your pelvis and protect your knees, strengthen your piriformis -- a flat muscle behind your hip joint and under your glutes -- and hip rotators. Warriors II and III are hip-strengthening standing poses . For Warrior II, the front knee is bent 90 degrees, hip flexed, toes pointing forward. The back leg is turned out at the hip, extended backward, foot flat on the ground pointing away from the body. The torso is slightly turned forward, hips squared, arms extended at shoulder height, head facing forward. Warrior III is all about body weight and balance. The supporting leg is straight, foot flat, toes forward. The torso arms and opposite leg are fully extended in a straight line from fingertips to toes, forming a right angle with the supporting leg. Hips are even and parallel to the floor. Try to hold poses for one minute before changing sides.

    Hip Runners

    • Runners have to worry about more than their knees as they pound the daily trail. Overuse of hip muscles can lead to injury so a few yoga poses in the studio or at trails-end could help to avoid time off to heal. One-Legged King Pigeon pose hits hip flexors, glutes ,piriformis, psoas and groin muscles. Start on all fours and shift the right leg forward, bending the knee so your right heel is in front of your left hip. At the same time, extend your left leg to the back, toes pointed. Hips are squared as you sit into the stretch. The spine, to the top of the head, reaches for the ceiling. Hold the pose for one minute and switch legs. Warrior II and Downward-Facing Dog are two more powerful additions to a runner's arsenal.