5 Yoga Poses for People with Wide Hips: Slim Legs and Open Hips!

Shadow Yoga aims to support, strengthen, and lengthen the connective tissue layers surrounding our joints, which helps to promote mobility.

The key concepts of Shadow Yoga practice are two. First, unlike linear flow yoga styles, Shadow Yoga tends to be more introspective. Poses are typically held for two to five minutes.

A second major factor differentiating Shadow Yoga from more common physical yoga practices is that, when holding poses, very little muscle is engaged. The target areas of the poses are according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) connective tissue and the body's vibrant meridians.

Before starting any Shadow Yoga practice, be mindful of the following:

• We do not want to overextend ourselves. As practitioners, it is important to listen to our bodies' cues to find the balance between effort and relaxation.
• Use yoga props to support the body. Props are key to softening and releasing tension in Shadow Yoga, making the body receptive to stillness.
• If you tend to be on the more flexible side, strengthen the body before exiting the pose. When exiting the pose, reverse-engineer the joint's support.

The following Shadow Yoga poses are designed to increase the flexibility and mobility of the hip joint area. This practice is intended to encourage a feeling of relaxation, openness, and stillness in the hips.

1. Pigeon Pose

This yoga pose tends to target the inner thigh, but you may also notice sensations on the outer hip. It's also a good pose for relieving lower back tension.

Suggested Props: 1 blanket, 1 yoga mat, 2 yoga blocks

Let's try it:

• Start in a seated position, with the soles of your feet touching.
• Slowly begin to fold forward, allowing your spine to gently round.
• If your knees are sitting above your hips, raising the pelvis with a blanket may be helpful. Additionally, under the thighs use blocks to soften the legs to the ground. You may also want to support your head.
• Hold for three to five minutes. Try not to fidget or truly sink into stillness. Let your breath be the anchor for the present moment.

2. Saddle Pose

This pose is a great opener for the deep hip rotator muscles. This pose stretches the hamstring of the posterior hip and the hip flexors of the anterior leg. It can be beneficial for sitting nerve pain and low back pain.

Suggested Props: 2 yoga blocks, 1-2 yoga blankets

Let's try it:

• From Down Dog or Four-Limbs Down
• Step forward with the front foot, so that the knee of the front leg is directly above the ankle. Place your hands on either side of the foot.
• Support the body, letting gravity help you. Place a blanket under the knee of the back leg. Roll up a blanket to use as a support for the back leg's thigh. Press down with your hands on the obstacles
• Take a breath to soften it
• Hold for three to five minutes
• Switch to the second side
• 3. Cow Face Pose

This pose is a great opener for the outer hip rotator muscles. It can also help to relieve tension around the sacrum and lower back. It's often a deep opener, so it's highly recommended to use props and modifications.

Suggested Props: 1 blanket, 1 yoga mat, 1-2 yoga blocks

Let's try it:

Cross the limbs, with one leg in front of the other, so that the knees can touch, like a coat rack

• Step your feet onto the mat
• Slowly sit between your feet
• Sit on a blanket or bed, adjusting the pelvis. Let your sit bones feel as if they are sinking into the earth
• If the hip pressure is excessive, try straightening the back leg
• Maintain a straight sitting posture, or if comfortable, gently fold forward or lean your head onto a pillow
• Hold for three minutes
• Switch to the second side
• 4. Reclining Pigeon Pose

This is a good way to open the external rotator muscles of the hips, including the piriformis (often the source of sitting nerve pain). Working in gravity, stillness, and breath can help to nourish these muscles and their surrounding tissue.

Suggested Props: 1 blanket, 1 yoga pillow

Let's try it:

From Down Dog or Four-Limbs Down, bend the right leg and bring it towards the right hand, with the leg at a slight angle on the floor, with the knees roughly pointing to the two o'clock or three o'clock positions

• Keep your hands on the floor, spend some time standing to breathe
• If the right hip rises off the floor, place a blanket under the hip
• If comfortable, bring your torso to the floor, or place your forearms on the floor, placing your torso on a support pad, or lie your whole body flat on the ground
• Hold for three to five minutes
• Repeat on the second side
• Note: If you are experiencing pain, especially in the knee joints, assume a Supine Figure-4 position with the right foot over the left thigh.

5. Corpse Pose

After deep hip work, it is important to lie flat on the ground and deeply rest.

Suggested Props: Optional blanket and pillow

Let's try it:

Lie down flat

• Use props to support the body, increasing comfort
• Hold for five to ten minutes
• Deep rest
• Note the feeling before and after the practice, and after a few days. And remember to stay hydrated! Like massage, Shadow Yoga can deeply release toxins and fixed patterns from the body. Therefore, it can be well-nourished for the body.