Ultimate Guide To Hip Bursitis Yoga

This article delivers a gentle yoga flow to help calm aggravation for bursitis in the hips. Bursitis is often the consequence of a lack of mobility in the hip joints and unfortunately, only decreases that range of motion due to pain. This hip bursitis yoga sequence will help you comfortably explore your range of motion in the hips, offering relieving stretches and some gentle strengthening exercises. Specifically created to accommodate all ages and levels of practice. A block and a chair will be used and we strongly encourage you to use these props as well to support your practice.

Before we get started, I invite you to take a moment to set an intention for your practice today. Perhaps creating a mantra of peace or encouragement for yourself. Remind yourself there is no one to be in competition with, especially not with your own body. This practice is for sending love where there is pain, strength where we feel weak, and expanding the places where we feel closed off. As you likely already know, bursitis is easily irritated, so listen to your body and do what feels right and what feels good.

To begin we’ll start with our left hand on the back of a chair for support and our feet planted firmly as wide as the hips. Let’s keep our pelvis as neutral as possible. Inhale the right arm up, lift through the spine, exhale the arm over toward the left. Reach down through the right hips and feel the side stretch. Exhale the arm down. Inhale, stretch the arm up and over. Exhale, down. Once more, inhale up and over. Exhale the arm down.

Reverse the body or chair and repeat for three breaths on the opposite side.

Standing behind the chair, step the right foot about one or two feet back from the left foot. Rotate the hip points evenly toward the chair. Inhale the arms overhead, tuck the navel into the spine. Exhale, hinging from the hips, bring the torso toward the chair and allow the hands to rest of the chair for support. Press firmly through both feet. Breathe through the sides of the upper legs and hips.
Inhale, lift the torso up.

Exhale, step the feet together. Inhale, step the left foot back. We repeat on this side. Inhale, lift the torso. Exhale the feet together.

Put the chair aside, come down onto the mat, lying on the back with the legs extended out in front, feet flexed. Tuck the palms under the glutes, the arms under the back. Activate the legs. Inhale the right leg to the sky. Exhale it down, engaging the core muscles. Inhale the left leg up. Exhale, lower with control.

Repeat five times on each side, keeping the feet flexed and extending through the backs and sides of the legs.

Relax the body. Untuck the arms. Grab your block and bend the knees in.

Place the block longways between the knees or thighs. Press into the palms and arms and from the pelvis lift the hips directly up, squeezing the block between the legs. Exhale, lower the hips down.

Inhale, lift the hips. Exhale, lower down. Let’s work towards five more of these.

Find a comfortable way to turn over onto the belly. Bring the palms beneath the shoulders with the elbows drawing back and inward toward each other. Press into the tops of the feet. Inhale and lift the right leg toward the sky. Exhale, lower down. Inhale the left leg up, toes pointed. Exhale it down. Repeat on the right side. Really stretch through the top and side of the thigh. Anchor through the pelvis.

Repeat on the left side. Come back to the right side and pulse three times.Repeat on the left side, pulsing three times. Release the arms and the legs and rest.

Raise the body onto toes and forearms coming into a forearm plank. Let’s take a moment here to hold this pose and breathe into the alignment of these activated muscles. Press into the backs of the heels, tuck the navel in, press into the forearms. Feel the tailbone and chest reaching in opposite directions. If you need to lower down, do so, take a breath, and come back into plank.

Feel the strength through the entire body. Feel the core support the hips, the hips support the core.

Lower the body. Come onto the back. Raise yourself up into seated. Extend the legs out and flex the feet. Bend the right knee and bring the right foot beside the left knee. Bring the right hand behind the body to the mat for support. Inhale the left arm over head and exhale bringing the left arm to the outside of the right knee.

Feel the stretch through the side of the right thigh and hip. Take five nice breaths here. After your last breath, release the pose and switch legs. Repeat on the left side for five full, deep breaths.

Lower the body all the way down for final relaxation, shavasana. Allow the legs, hips, arms to all open and relax.

Stay in shavasana as long as you wish. Remembering the intention you set for the practice, perhaps carrying it with you throughout the rest of your day. Remember to drink lots of water and pay attention to your breath, getting as much oxygen, prana and love to all those achy places in the body. May you be well. Namaste.