5 Ways To Fix Stiff Hips Naturally

 

The problem with hip stiffness, is that when we focus only on one particular joint, we are in danger of falling into a reductionist mindset.  To only look at that issue as if it was the start and the end of the problem. This is how our  medical system tends to view things. 

However, that said, here are  5 ways you can fix stiff hips naturally  

  1. If you have a stiff hip, and it's painful, you could treat it with a joint pain cream or ointment.
  2. If you have a stiff hip, and it feels better after walking, you should walk more. 
  3. If you have a stiff hip and it feels worse after driving or sitting, you could try putting your legs up the wall after you drive or sit for long periods of time. 
  4. Some people find supplements that help relax muscles, such as magnesium or ashwagandha helpful when it comes to hip stiffness. 
  5. If you have a stiff hip, and it feels locked, you could treat it with a yoga hip flexor exercise (keep on reading for the pelvic pump). 


And what we need to be very careful in any approach to any joint in the body, is that if we only focus on that one joint we are creating a blind spot in our awareness.  By only focusing on the stiffness in the hip we may be missing out on all the other parts of the body that might be contributing or even causing that stiffness. The stiffness in your hips, might be compensating for something else. 

 If you are very mobile in one area of your body, it can happen that a stiffness will occur in another.  This is because when one part of the body is constantly moving, the joints and muscles that are not being used become stiff.
 
It's important to get a wider view.  What's the history of your hip, and the rest of your body?   Tight hips maybe due to an ankle or foot injury years ago. Or the actual problem might be in the spine and the hips are bearing the problem and compensating. 
 
I’m not saying don’t focus on your hips, yes do pay good attention- and I encourage you to also keep a much broader perspective.
 
This is why a yoga practice that invites you to move your joints in different directions every day is a great way to approach hip stiffness.  With regular practice, over time, any areas of excessive flexibility gain more structure and the stiff areas gain more mobility.  What if you are stiff all over?  Then gradually,  maintaining an overall approach to keep moving, with a well rounded yoga practice will help access the restrictions and dissolve them over time. 

All that said, I want to introduce you to the “pelvic pump” sequence that was taught to me by one of my teachers Francisco Kaiut.  The Pelvic Pump  is a really great way to spend time exploring the hips, ankles and spine.  It is basically moving you from sukhasana to uphavista konasana - holding each pose for a while, droping forward in the pose, and  then going  back and forth between the two, legs wide, legs crossed.  But it is important that the leg cross has a wide cross do not make the mistake of tucking your feet towards your groin. 
 
If you are new to yoga and do not know these poses, then they look like: 
Uphavista Konasana



Sukhasana

One thing to remember too, is that it is possible to "burn out" from doing a particular pose too much. That’s why as a kaiut teacher of Joint Renewal, I have so many class plans, I need to give my students a massive amount of variety so that every joint in the body gets a variety of different moves
 
For my students, when they ask me what classes would I recommend from my class recording archive, I would say  5, 11, 32 and 33 as they have this pelvic pump.  And I would add, make sure you intersperse doing them with other classes - even ones  that seemingly have very little hip action. 

If you would like access to the archive I'm refering to,  and wish to try these classes then you can join membership here. 
 
Another option to think about if the hips are stiff is to consider adding sandbags.  If you don't have sandbags for your yoga practice - they are relatively cheap and easy to purchase (on Amazon for example)  and you fill them with play sand - about 5 or 6lb in each bag. 
 
Sandbags can be placed on your knees or thighs in sukhasana or baddha konasana.  A word of caution however,  if the hips are sensitive, if there is bursitis or inflamation,  it can be aggravating to put that kind of pressure on them.  It's a bit of trial and error.  
 
And the other focus is to consider your mindset. One of my students said to me "my hips are like concrete!" And I know for myself,  I will often label, bully, criticise a body part.  And when I stop and consider what I am actually saying - wow - that's one way to be stuck and stiff - in my thinking! 
 Therefore my final suggestion to fix stiff hips naturally,  is to think about your hips differently.  Stop thinking about how stiff they are and instead gently moving your hips from side to side when standing, swaying your hips from side to side when going into your yoga practice of a pelvic pump class, this  will shift the focus in your mind that your hips stiff, and you will be more able to believe and experience them as being fluid and free! 

If you are interested in reading my free guide for Joint Renewal please go to www.kathywhiteyoga.com

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