Hip and lower back pain are quite common nowadays owing to the sedentary lifestyle most people follow. And furthermore, due to current situation, with work from home in effect, people have become more lethargic and fail to maintain a correct posture while working at home. Most people simply sit on the sofa or lie on the bed and work causing enough stress and strain on the hip muscles.
Apart from having a bad posture while sitting or sleeping, even while trying to reach out for something placed at an elevated level, one can strain the muscles of the pelvic and hip area creating intense pain and agony. If left untreated, this discomfort can even cause pain in the groin, the thigh muscles, inside or outside the hip joint, and in the buttocks and this can ultimately reduce movement. Also Read: Yogasanas For Heart: 5 Incredible Yoga Poses To Keep Cardiac Anomalies At Check
Yoga is one such traditional form of stretching that is an answer to several bodily issues. Regular practice of yogasanas not only prevents stiffness in the joints and muscles of the hips but also improves blood circulation in that area. These asanas if done properly, is beneficial for more than one area. Hence, apart from relieving pain from around the hips, it improves breathing, boosts stamina, and bolsters the overall immune system. Also Read: Immunity Booster: These Yoga Postures Ensure Both Your Mental and Physical Wellbeing
This article brings you 5 such yoga poses that dismiss lower back pain and strengthens the back and hips.
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5 Yoga Stretches To Provide Relief From Hip Pain
Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose):
Sit straight on the floor. While breathing out, fold your legs close to your body so that the soles of both your feet touch each other face to face. Let your knees drop to the sides. Hold the thumb of your foot and ensure that the foot soles remain touched to each other and always pressed to the ground. Once you are comfortable in the pose, ensure that the torso is stretched through the top of the sternum, and the shoulder blades are also firmly pressed to the back. Now breathe in and out normally. Hold this for 1 minute, take 30 secs break and repeat 5 times.
Benefits:
This asana is extremely beneficial for opening various obstructions within the body, especially in the hips allowing a full range of movements and creating a channel for the free passage of various fluids within the body. If practiced regularly, it is extremely beneficial to provide relief from back and hip pain and is also good for stimulating the reproductive organs in women.
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Sitting Half Spinal Twist):
Sit straight with your legs stretched out and feet together. Bend your right leg and place the heel of your right foot beside your left hip. Slowly, take the left leg over the right knee. Put your right hand on your left foot and your left hand behind you. Twist the waist, shoulders, and neck to the left and look over the left side shoulder. Hold this posture and continue breathing in and out gently. Slowly return to the initial position and repeat in the same manner on the other side.
Benefits:
The twisting of the upper side of the body works on the whole spine and acts as an excellent detox for the whole body. This asana not only massages the internal organs but also stretches the shoulder, hips, and neck and energizes the spinal column. It is extremely beneficial for menstrual discomfort, sciatica, fatigue, and backache.
Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby Pose):
Lie flat on your back. Raise both your legs up, bringing your knees close to your chest. Now hold both your thumb fingers of the foot. Now, slowly stretch your legs and arms upwards. Make sure your chin is touching your chest, and you feel a stretch at the pelvic bone. Press the tailbone and the sacrum down to the floor while pressing your heels up, pulling back with your arms. Breathe normally and try holding the pose for 1 minute or as long as you can. Come back to Shavasana and repeat 5 times.
Benefits:
Happy Baby Pose plays a pivotal role in stretching the entire body including the hip joint and muscles. Not only does it increase overall balance and stamina but also increases blood circulation and tones the muscles around the hip. Practising it regularly relieves hip pain in no time. It is also significant for its characteristic ability to calm the mind and de-stress the body.
Gomukhasana (Cow Pose):
Sit straight on the ground with your legs stretched out in front. Now gently bend your right leg and place it under your left buttock and fold your left leg and place it over your right thigh. Ensure that both the knees are on top of each other. Now fold your right arm and place it over your shoulder and your bend your left arm from beneath your back upwards so that both hands are stretched enough to touch each other. Keep your trunk straight and press your back on your arms. Now breathe in and out normally. Hold this for 1 minute, take 30 secs break and repeat 5 times.
Benefits:
While doing the Cow Pose, when your legs are stacked over each other, the strain created in the muscle-tendon joints gets intensified. The spinal cord, in response to this tension, signals the muscles to relax. The cow pose helps in releasing endorphins, which induce a feeling of relaxation within your body and mind, therefore relieving the hip pain too. It is extremely beneficial for curing pain in the hips, pelvic muscles, and strain in your thighs and legs.
Viparita Karani (Legs Up The Wall Pose):
Initially, sit about 3 inches from an empty wall. Lie onto the back and swing your legs upwards in such a way that the back of the thigh rests against the wall. Rest your entire back, i.e. the spinal column on the floor below and relax the arms on either side of the body or the tummy. Hold the position for 10 minutes or as long as you can and then slowly pull your leg back to the starting position.
Benefits:
This posture is one of the relaxing poses that allows you to lie flat on the ground with your legs up without much twisting. Yet, the Viparita Karini is one such beneficial yogasana that allows lymphatic drainage, evens out blood circulation, and releases pressure from the back and hip. Regular practice of this asana opens up the hip muscles and combats any pain and tightness in the pelvic and hip area.
Anjaneyasana (Progressive Low Lunge):
Start by stepping your right foot forward between your hands. Lower your left knee to the floor, sliding the foot back until you feel a stretch in the left hip. Make sure the front knee is directly over your ankle. Extend both arms up. Inhale and lean back lifting your hips and ribs up. Return to a regular lunge and repeat five times holding your breath and exhaling.
Benefits:
For the people who sit on their desks all day, this stretch is a must. This stretch is also the best way to start all your hip stretches since it activates the largest hip muscles.
Warrior pose (Virabhadrasana)
Stand straight with legs wide apart at a 3 feet distance. Turn right foot out by 90 degrees and left foot in by about 15 degrees. Lift both arms sideways to shoulder height with your palms facing up. Ensure your arms are parallel to the ground. Breathing out, bend your right knee. Turn your head to your right. Make a gentle effort to push your pelvis down. Keep breathing as you go down. Breathing in, come up. Breathing out, bring your hands down from the sides. Repeat 5 times.
Benefits:
This pose strengthens thighs and lower back muscles. It is beneficial for conditioning of the lower limb musculature and for improving balance in the body.
