Hip and shoulder openers

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi! My hips and shoulders are rather in need of some opening. What are your favorite hip and shoulder openers?

Thanks!

#2

Hip opener is both Supta Pandaguthasana and a yin pose called Dragons.

Shoulder is either Dhanurasana or standing in Tadasana, interlacing fingers behind back, rolling shoulders back and down, pinching shoulder blades toward spine as you open the chest and lift you head slightly. It feels great!

#3

Oh yes. I love Supta Pandaguthasana (totally had to copy/paste that, hahaha). I do it with a strap and it feels sssooo gooood :cool:

Thanks for your input! It’s weird – though I guess a lot of people are like this – though I’ve never had an injury, my right shoulder is WAY less open than my left. It makes some poses super difficult. Silly shoulder!

#4

Could be a variety of reasons why. We are not all symmetrical! I wish we were. We all have weakness in various parts of our bodies. Try this. Do some very slow, very controlled shoulder squeezes and then release the same way. Pay close attention to shoulder blades. See if one is lagging behind. If so, in addition to shoulder squeezes, isolate that shoulder blade and so a series only moving that one. Try for balance! Any pose that requires arm strength or movement, do more on your weak side until you’ve achieved that balance.

And for Supta Padanguthasana, try not using a strap and stack some pillows instead. This will allow the hamstrings and hips to come out of the contraction and help with their lengthening. I don’t know how far elevated your outstretched leg is, but stick with the initial amount of pillows for a while until you can feel that the muscles have stretched and lengthened. Then proceed to taking away another pillow, and so on. Also doing this in more of a yin fashion will allow you to go deeper. I do this with my students and all have greatly improved in both the leg being closer to the mat and more in line with the hips or higher. Try it!

#5

This is from my dw class hip-opening series

  • Pigeon and variations
  • Happy baby
  • Cow’s face
  • Janu Sirsasana,
  • archer
  • gate
  • bandha konasana
  • prazotita padotanasana
  • MANDUKASANA (frog)
  • trilonasana
  • tortoise squat

Be careful with hip openers, be aware of your edge:)

for shoulders try
-yogamudra
-eagle
-cow’s face

  • also I use locus to stabilize my winged scapular

Have fun!

#6

Oh! And do not disregard your standing warrior 1 and 2 . Great hip openers

#7

@Avocado
Which hips movements requires additional opening in your body?
There are eight and you have seven to choose from.