Get flexible hips with yoga’s butterfly pose

Tight hips are a road block to performing certain daily activities and enjoying an active, full life.

Everything from walking to hiking and biking, even gardening, requires a degree of flexibility in your hips.

Yet for many, range of motion is restricted because of old injuries or simply from sitting for long periods of time, regularly.

In today’s video, Yoga teacher Lauren Golen shares with us the butterfly pose. This is a great stretch for opening up the hips. It’s easy to do and Lauren shows three variations so everyone can benefit.

How to begin

To begin, sit on the floor with soles of the feet touching in front of you, knees out to the sides. Bring your heels as close to your body as possible. Some people will find this easy and for others it is a bit difficult. This all depends on your current level of hip flexibility.

You want to hold your spine upright while doing this stretch. You will sit on the sits bones, abdomen pulled in toward the spine and chest held up.

Butterfly Pose Version 1 – Hand support

If you are less flexible at the start, this can be difficult. But you don’t want to hunch, so you can place your hands behind your hips, palms on the floor, for support. If you use this support position, try not to raise your shoulders.

This starting position is also a great complete stretch, if it’s all you can manage. To do this, simply sit into this supported position and relax. Breathe in and out rhythmically and allows your hips to relax and knees to drop toward the floor.

Butterfly Pose Version 2 – Holding the feet

If you find the above version too easy, or have held that position for 30 seconds as a warm-up, you can now progress. For the next position, you will hold your feet with between your hands.

From this position, you will gentle allow your upper body to fall forward into the stretch. This forward position allows for a deeper stretch of the hips. You can use your hands to pull you down a bit more, too, for a deeper stretch.

If you are able to bend far enough forward that your elbows touch your legs, you can then use the elbows to press down on the calves to provide and even deeper hip opener.

Butterfly Pose Version 3 – Elevated seat

If sitting on the floor is difficult or assuming this butterfly pose is painful in the hips, you can sit on a Pilates block, thick book, or stack of pillows to elevate your hips.

All of the same rules and methods mentioned above apply to this version. The elevation merely makes is easier for the hips to pivot into the stretch.

Notes

Throughout, please try to keep your spine straight and not hunch forward. Hunching does allow your head to fall close to the ground, but that is not the point of the stretch.

If you come to a place in the stretch that is tighter, do not force anything. Rather, hold the position, breath slowly and deeply, and allow the body to relax and the hips to open up naturally.

Hold each pose for 30 seconds, sit up slowly and repeat at least three times. Give it a try and see how this butterfly pose stretch can open those hips and create more mobility in your lower body for a safe and active lifestyle.