You have tight hips and you want to move better, but you don’t know what to do! Today I’m gonna share some exercises to open up your hips! Actually, it’s one position, plus movement variations from that position. Introducing… the side bent sit!!!!
The Side Bent Sit
The side bent sit is one of my favorite positions. Why not open up your hips while you’re sitting. Playing video games, watching TV, or just hanging out. The side bent sit can really help stretch out your hips. It is a tricky position for a lot of people to get into initially however.
The trick is to make the position work for you. Get pillows, blankets, towels, yoga blocks, whatever you have handy to prop up your position. You can place any, or all, of these things under your butt and knees to make the position more comfortable for you.
Now you can just hang out here and let your hips open slowly and easily. By using bolsters you can now spend a lot more time in the side bent sit position. More time in a position means more progress.
What About Exercises To Open Your Hips?
Okay, so far we’ve just been sitting. How do we make this more active? Enter the side bent sit reverse! There are a few ways to make this happen. It’s easiest to just watch the video above for the specifics, but here are the basics. Transition both knees to point up toward the ceiling, sky, or whatever’s above you. As your knees change direction, you’ll notice the weight on your sit bones shifting as well.
Continue moving your knees toward the opposite side all the way until they’re pointing away from where you started. If they were originally pointing to the right, now they should be pointing to the left. Go back and forth like this slowly to engage your hip muscles through a large range of motion. Regular practice will build strength and mobility!
