All About the Hips by: Alison Tigges
This past weekend I taught an anatomy lecture about the pelvis/hips and was again reminded how important a healthy pelvis is. The pelvis is the structure in the middle of our body (between the legs and the torso) that hold various muscles and bones and is responsible for various movements. Our “hips” are such an important structure to keep healthy! The pelvis (and all it contains) is responsible for stability in the actions we do daily: sitting, walking, running, etc. The pelvis houses various organs, helps control our movements and supports the core. The hips are our power source that allow us to do various daily functions.
It's truly all about the hips.
With any bodily structure, there is potential for dysfunction. Anyone who has dealt with this knows, it is not fun, can be extremely painful and possibility debilitating, and can impact many facets of our lives. As humans, we develop tight AND weak hip muscles from being too sedentary, sitting too much, or sometimes overuse from doing too much of the same motion. Similarly, a weak pelvic floor can cause all kinds of issues. If you see yoga as the connection of body and mind, then you know that our hips can also be a mess from all the emotional/mental stress we hold in our bodies. Most of us have dealt with, or will deal with, some sort of pelvic issue in our lifetime.
You know I am going to say it…YOGA HELPS!
In any given yoga class, you can expect lots of hip movements. Remember, movement is medicine. Yoga poses teach us external and internal hip rotation, anterior and posterior tilting, and hip flexion and extension. If you come to class, expect to move your pelvis, and expect to stretch those tight muscles. This creates more mobility, which is a good thing that will help in all areas of life.
In any given yoga class, you can also expect hip strengthening! We need to have strong and stable hips. Come see us at OTY and we will use blocks and straps and blankets and various drills to help strengthen glutes, hip flexors, and adductor muscles. It’s sneaky challenging, but oh so good.
In yoga we also work with the bandhas (locks that hold in vital energy). The first bandha is the mula bandha, which is the area of the pelvic floor. In any given yoga class, you will work with engaging and strengthening that pelvic floor to help create stability in that potentially weak area. Not only does this help you do arm balances or inversions, but it will also make daily activities easier and more enjoyable.
Finally, yoga helps us practice letting go of some of the stress we hold onto. The body keeps the score! If we can clear the mind of some of the noise, our body has an easier time responding to the yoga practice. The hips can, and will be, happier and healthier.