Beginner with VERY tight hips and inner thighs

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I have been reading through these forums for a few days and have been impressed by the quality of advice/suggestions that are given, as well as the genuine niceness that is here. I thought I would put some of my struggles as a beginning yoga practitioner out there and see if anyone can provide guidance.

I’m 45, female, healthy. “Fit” if you mean by that, “can walk briskly for miles” but very, very inflexible. I have dabbled in yoga off and on for years and have always ended up quitting because I was so frustrated by my limitations. I have recently started up with it again and feel that I am in a better place mentally and can accept where I am without becoming discouraged. (I’ve realized that quitting and sulking has not improved my situation a bit so even if I were to stick this out for years and not improve, what would I have lost?)

I have had teachers in the past but right now am working with books and videos. I know, not the best situation. I live in a very small town in a very isolated area and have access to exactly one teacher, who is currently on spring break. I plan to get back to her class when she returns.

Particularly restricting for me are my hips and also my adductors. I have a problem knee (had arthroscopic surgery on it three years ago and still have problems with it) and have been told by several physical therapists that my hips were the likely cause, as they do not at all have normal ROM.

As for my adductors, when I sit in a straddle, my legs can only spread to about 35 degrees and even there, I have a hard time sitting upright. (I use a blanket to help with that.) Sitting upright with my legs barely spread like this is a huge challenge, an extreme stretch. I have not been able to even consider moving forward in this position for decades.

Also, standing positions such as the warrior stances and the triangle position are very difficult. My hips restrict me in the warriors and my adductors in the triangle.

I’m sorry this is so long! One of my main concerns is this: When I move into and out of any straddle positions (standing or seated), the muscles pull hard on my knees. Could this be a factor in my “bad” knee? I am very, very careful when moving in and out of a straddle and yet I have NEVER seen this addressed anywhere and no one seems to know what I’m talking about. Surely I can’t be a total anomaly!

Are there any general tips you would give to a person in my situation, someone abnormally tight in hips and adductors (and hamstrings, too - probably everywhere to be honest) who has limited access to a teacher but who is very motivated to learn? I would appreciate any ideas and encouragement. Thank you so much for reading. :slight_smile:

#2

Hello Lulubelle,

Let’s try to get right to what you are asking.

The major muscle for stabilizing the knee is the rectus femoris. It is one of the four quadriceps muscles. The adductors do not cross the knee joint but instead attach to the thigh bone or [I]femur[/I] and run up the inner leg to the pubis and ischium.

There are eight movements in the hips. One of those is never done (compression) and therefore the other is always done (traction). That leaves six movements required for the hips.

Generally speaking, when some of the muscles making up the hip complex (flexors, extensors, adductors, abductors, internal/external rotators) are EITHER weak or chronically tight the entire complex is “out of balance”. This phrase “balance” has unfortunately lost it’s meaning due to overuse and lack of understanding on the part of yoga teachers. Ergo, in your case, based on what you’ve shared, the adductor issue tips the scales of your hip balance dramatically in one direction.

In Purna Yoga, the yoga in which I practice, train, and teach, we use a supine beginner’s hip series to address this sort of thing. The beauty of it is that it’s is both safe and effective AND students can incorporate it into their daily living so they may be empowered to heal their hips. However this stuff isn’t in a book or video. And to some degree that is because of the lossy or degradation of the teaching when those mediums are used.

There are thus four ways to address this; find one of my peers, attend a session at YJ, come to Yoga Centers in Bellevue (WA), or find some thingies on your own. If option four is the only one you are willing to select then please read this article in Yoga Journal authored by my teacher.

#3

Tightness in the hips can refer down to the knees causing pain and stiffness so working on the hips may help.

Since you have no access to a teacher right now, you could try Gary Kraftsow’s DVD " Yoga Therapy for the Lower Back, Sacrum and Hips" The Warriors in this DVD have a very narrow stance so they should cause you no trouble.

#4

Gordon, thank you so much for suggesting the supine beginner’s hip series. It looks like exactly what I need and I will start on it right away. One quick question I have about Parsva Supta Padangusthasan is, if I can’t get my sideways extended leg (the one I would have in a strap) to the floor, is it better to bring it down to a lower angle and to the floor, or to keep it straight out sideways as far as I can (which isn’t far)?

And thank you YogaPrem, for the DVD suggestion. Gary Kraftsow’s name keeps coming up in my reading so I think I will pay attention. Also, the reviews on amazon are wonderful. It will be my very next yoga purchase.

#5

Unless I"m missing something, I can’t edit my above post to clarify something, so let me reword my question about Parsva Supta Padangusthasan. In the photos I’ve seen, the person is flexible enough to lie the stretched leg onto the floor, whereas someone like me will be holding it out in the air, supported by a strap. This makes for a lot of work, which is fine and I can work with it, but would it be more authentic to rest the leg on, say, a nearby chair seat (yes, that’s the range I’m working in!), with the goal of working that down to a stool, two stacked blocks, etc. Or should I continue to hold the foot in its strap midair?

Thanks!

#6

regarding you working with books…good book is better than bad teacher:)

it is hard to find a good teachers… and i can see that you are curious and intelligent man… stay with your practice and stick to the forum:)

you also may want to check out Paul Grilley video … it explains some good points on flexibility and bone structure…the point is that some people think that they are tight but it really could be just the way their bones are…

good luck!

#7

Thank you, City Monk! You must have been reading my mind because just last night I happened across photos on Paul Grilley’s website which showed the huge variances in human skeletons. I had not known this before. It really reinforced for me the concept of working with [I]my[/I] body and not trying to make myself look like anyone else. Very eye-opening!

#8

Take the leg as far as you can toward the floor using the strap to hold the leg.
Use the opposite hand to root the opposite side of the pelvis into the floor beneath it.

#9

Over the years I have found I like to use pilates rings instead of a strap. Students find it much easier to hold vs. a strap. Just my personal preference, but wanted to throw out that option. What I found was in using a strap, my students were able to get the leg down close to, if not on the floor, but were not at 90 degrees. (I’m referencing Parsva Supta Padanguthasana) The rings, due to their size, actually forces them to keep the leg more at 90, albeit higher off the floor. I have seen such wonderful improvement in this pose using the rings. When they have gone back to the strap, they were amazed at their alignment. Just food for thought.

#10

[QUOTE=lotusgirl;71537]Over the years I have found I like to use pilates rings instead of a strap. Students find it much easier to hold vs. a strap. Just my personal preference, but wanted to throw out that option. What I found was in using a strap, my students were able to get the leg down close to, if not on the floor, but were not at 90 degrees. (I’m referencing Parsva Supta Padanguthasana) The rings, due to their size, actually forces them to keep the leg more at 90, albeit higher off the floor. I have seen such wonderful improvement in this pose using the rings. When they have gone back to the strap, they were amazed at their alignment. Just food for thought.[/QUOTE]

Great tip, and [I]very[/I] interesting, thanks! I will check this out. The strap is a bit unwieldy and this may just well be the answer and one I never would have thought of.

This forum is great! Thank you to everyone for your input.