September is national Yoga Month, and it’s also the first few weeks many people are back to school. This year marks the first time in over a year that many of us are returning to all in-person classes, and while we may be excited to see everyone outside of a little box on a screen, it’s really stressful trying to adjust after doing things differently for so long. According to Healthline, a lot of our emotional stress is held in our hips. In celebration of National Yoga Month and to try to relieve some of the stress of returning to school, here are some yoga poses you can try that focus on relieving tension in our hips.
The forward fold
This position you can perform either sitting or standing, so you don’t necessarily need a yoga mat to do it. If you choose to do this position sitting, start by extending your legs forward in front of you on the ground with your toes pointing up. Bend your body forward, effectively folding your body in half at your hips. Stretch your arms out and grab your toes if you can, but the most important part of this motion is folding your body in half and taking deep breaths. If you choose to do this exercise standing, make sure to plant your feet shoulder length apart and bend your body in half at the hips, starting by lowering your arms, then your head and so on. As you lower your upper half in either standing or sitting position, relax your neck and take ten deep breaths. Hold this position for those ten breaths, and then slowly return to normal.
Child’s pose
This is a truly beginner friendly yoga pose and is one of my personal favorites. In the child’s pose, you start by kneeling all the way on the ground and spreading your knees away from each other. After that, start bending your upper half forward between your knees and extend your arms forward in front of you. As you lower your upper half to the ground in front of your legs, extend your arms past your head on the ground and take fifteen deep breaths. This is a great pose for relieving emotional stress and while I think some yoga positions are overrated, this is one that makes me feel great afterwards time and time again.
Reclining bound angle
This yoga position is for those that might want to bend just a little bit less. You start out by laying flat on your back, preferably on a yoga mat. You bend your legs at the knee, still keeping them touching the ground on their sides and push your feet together. Extend your arms straight out at your sides and you’re there. Many people do this pose in bed without even realizing it is a yoga position. Keep this position for ten deep breaths.
