Home Practice: Hip Openers

Featured Issue: June 2010

Sequence created by Stephanie Snyder

Supple hips can ease back pain, give you a more agile gait, and may improve circulation in your legs. But there's more, says San Francisco yoga teacher Stephanie Snyder. Like the junk drawer your house, the hips are where negative emotions, such as stress, fear, and sadness are energetically held. By doing hip-opening poses like Lunges, Pigeon Pose, Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose), Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) and others, you free up that space for prana (life force) to move through your pelvis—and to clear out the emotional junk.

The exercise instructions and advice presented in this video are designed for people who are in good health and physically fit. They are not intended to substitute for medical counseling. The creators, producers, participants, and distributors of Yoga Journal disclaim any liability for loss or injury in connection with the exercises shown or the instruction and advice expressed.