The Profound Link Between Hips and Your Emotions

The hips are an area where people hold a lot of unconscious tension, old emotions and deep vulnerabilities. But how are our hips so strongly associated with emotion?

Think of what you do when you feel angry. Your unconscious retain is to clench your jaw. This same action of clenching happens in your hips when we feel threatened (fight or flight) or hear bad news. Our natural response to stress is to use our hips to take flight, fight or bend forward and raise our knees up into a fetal position to protect our core.

These actions use the hips and when these muscles have been clenched tightly they shorten and the full tension is never fully released. It not only traps muscular tension, but also deep cognitive emotion felt at that time.

This unconscious tension can be held from one traumatic event, or lots of little events where the stress of feelings like sadness, fear and worry are stored and can get stuck. No matter how you say it, stretching the hip muscles causes a release and allows stored emotion to melt away.

This is one of the wonders of yoga. So many people inexplicably come to tears in these poses as old emotions resurface. As hip flexors are such strong muscles, when we approach hip openers it can be challenging, but stick with it and BREATHE.

The breath will carry you through and soon transform your state to calm, as you let go of stored stress. It is literally one of our favourite poses, once you learn to breathe and let go.

3 Hip Openers to Release Stored Stress and Emotion

1. Low lunge

Step your right foot forward between your hands, make sure the right knee is over the heel. Lower your left knee to the mat and release into the front of the hip. Hold and breathe and then switch sides. You can always place your hands on two yoga blocks to take any pressure of your hips, and give you a little more space to find comfort in the pose.

2. Pigeon pose

To do pigeon pose, start on all fours in a squared table pose. Bring the right knee toward the right hand. Angle your right knee to two o'clock and release your left leg back as far as is comfortable. Hold and breathe and then switch sides.

If this is uncomfortable within the hips, place a cushion, bolster or yoga block under the glute of the leg that’s bent. That will allow for your hips to be level and ease you into the pose whilst allowing you to hold the pose for a little longer.

3. Reclining Twist

Extend your left leg along the floor, hug your right knee into your chest. Extend your right arm out to the side with your palms facing up. Shift your hips to the right and place your left hand on the right side of the knee. Drop your right knee over the left side of your body. Hold and breathe deep.