I had the pleasure of meeting Ali White, yoga instructor, endurance athlete at Rise.Run.Retreat 2016. Ali led us through a restorative yoga session during our retreat weekend. I caught up with Ali recently and asked her to highlight her favorite yoga poses that help open and release the hips. The poses are perfect for runners and will help keep you limber and loose.

There are many postures to assist with hip opening. These postures can benefit every runner easing soreness and increasing flexibility in the hips.

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Lizard Lunge {Utthan Pristhasana}

Focus of Lizard lunge to open hip flexors, quadriceps and hamstrings. Lizard Lunge can be an intense hip opener. This posture can be intensified in many ways. Modifications can be made and props can be used.

Instructions:

From Down dog, kick the right leg up and back into three leg dog. Square off your hips with your mat. Ears in between arms. Bring your right knee into your chest and step through into low runners lunge. Right ankle stacks under the right knee. Walk the hands from the sides of the foot to the inside arch of the right foot. Spread your palms wide on the mat and root down.
Option to release the back left knee and tops of the left toes to your mat.
Keeping an active back, stay tall through your spine. Drop your shoulders away from your ears and release any tension in your jaw.
Take 2- 5 breaths. Fully engaging your exhalations.
Stay here or opt to go further into stretch.
On an exhale, release the outside of the right thigh to the edge of your yoga mat. Externally rotating the right thigh. Allow the lateral of the right foot to seal to the edge of your mat and the inside arch of the foot to point upward toward the ceiling.
Option on an exhale to lower the forearms down and release the chin in toward the chest. Interlace the fingers. Take 2-5 breaths.
To come out of posture: Stack the right knee over the right ankle, if released out to side of mat. Frame hands to the right foot, tenting up finger tips. If released back left knee and toes to mat. Curl under the five toes of the left foot, pick up the knee. Coming into a low runners lunge. Keep an active back here. On an exhale, take the right leg and step back into a three leg dog. Coming out the way you came into lizard lunge. Releasing any tension built up from the posture while in three leg dog. Finish in Downward facing dog.
Repeat on the other side.

Pigeon {Eka Pada Rajakapotasana}

Known as the king of hip openers. Benefits include increasing external range of motion of the femur in the hip socket. Lengthening of hip flexors. Contraindications to pigeon pose include knee injuries and sacroiliac issues.

Instructions:

Starting position from Downward facing dog, kick the right leg up and back into three leg dog.
On an inhale, tuck the knee in towards the chest. Release the right shin toward the front of your yoga mat.
Check in with your alignment here. Place the right palm of hand in front of the right knee. Place the left hand in front of the right foot. Pull your right toes in toward your shin (Dorsiflexion, this to help protect your knee and hip)
Check in with your hips. If you left hip is elevated, set a rolled blanker or block underneath it. Hips are square to your mat here.
Option on an exhale, release the forearms down to the mat. Drop the chin in towards the chest. Close your eyes.
To come out of posture: Root palms into your yoga mat, stacking wrists under shoulders. Curl under five toes of back left leg, pick up the knee. Adjust the right knee to stack over the right ankle. Frame the front right foot with the hands, tenting up the finger tips. Keep an active back here. On an exhale, step back into three leg down (Releasing any tension built up in the hip extensors, quadriceps or hamstrings).
Repeat on other side.

Piriformis Stretch with Reverse Pigeon and Hamstring Release

Stretching the Piriformis, hamstrings and hip extensors may help decrease painful symptoms along the sciatic nerve. Assisting in range of motion, decreasing muscle spasms, and assisting in eliminating any pain or soreness in area.

Instructions:

Lying supine (on your back) supported by a mat. Tuck your right knee in towards your chest. Line the right knee in line with your right shoulder. Relax the base of the right foot.
Lay the left leg long down your mat. Flex the left toes in toward your shin. Allow the left hamstring to sink into your yoga mat.
Allow the head, neck and shoulders to rest on your mat. With head on mat, tuck chin in towards chest. Gaze soft at the top of your right knee.
On an exhale, place the lateral side of the right ankle above the left knee. Kick the left leg up towards the ceiling. Bring dorsiflexion (toes in towards the shin, into the left toes as your isolate the left legs hamstring).
Interlace the hands behind the left thigh, bracing the left hamstring with the palms of your hands. Tugging the left knee gently in toward your chest.
Exhale, release the left heel into the left glutes. Inhale, extend the left leg up towards the ceiling. Repeat 5 times. 10 times if you have tighter hamstrings. Holding each movement for 2-5 seconds or 2 to 5 breaths.
To come out of posture: Release both legs long down your yoga mat and gentle hug both knees in toward the chest. Gently rock side to side. Observe your breath and how your feel.
Repeat on other side.

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You can find more from Ali on here:

Instagram: @mountaincat333

What are your favorite hip opening poses?

--Sarah

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Hip Opening Yoga Poses for Runners

Lizard Lunge {Utthan Pristhasana}

Pigeon {Eka Pada Rajakapotasana}

Piriformis Stretch with Reverse Pigeon and Hamstring Release

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