I'm a yoga teacher - 3 flows I prefer over static stretches for improving hip mobility, strength and balance

Having taught yoga for 17 years, I see students struggle with mobility all the time. Often from sitting down at a desk all day or not having enough variety in their exercise routine. It all starts in the hips.

But improving strength and mobility in this area doesn't mean sitting in static stretches like frog pose or the pigeon stretch all day long. You have to mobilise the muscles surrounding the hip, like the glutes. These big, powerful muscles in the buttocks help in all daily movements, from climbing stairs to walking. When they are overworked in the gym (say you do lots of squats), stretching can be uncomfortable. When they are underworked, the connective tissues that surround the glutes and hips contract over time, a bit like shrink wrap, so stretching will also be uncomfortable. This can cause other muscles to compensate, creating imbalance and dysfunction.

No matter the cause, tight hips can lead to more serious issues if you don’t take steps to address the underlying cause. Along with exercises to loosen tight hips, I like to include these three yoga flows in my routine.

1. Jiva flow

I love this Jiva flow because it requires strength and balance, two things that help improve the overall stability of your hip and strengthen your inner thighs, which are often overlooked when improving lower-body strength generally.

Here's how to do it:

• Step your right foot forward into a lunge, lift your back knee and place your hands on blocks (or books) placed in front of your right foot.
• Inhale, push your right foot down to lift your left leg behind you.
• Exhale, bend both knees and draw your left knee behind your right knee to cross your thighs. Squeeze your inner thighs together.
• Inhale and press your right foot down to straighten both legs and lift your left leg behind you again.
• Repeat 3 - 5 times, then change sides.

2. Skanda flow

Your inner hip muscles, also known as your adductors, can get tight through underuse, and the Skanda flow is a great way to stretch them.

Here's how to do it:

• Take a wide stance and bring your fingertips to the floor or blocks.
• Straighten your arms to lengthen your spine, and try tilting your sitting bones up a little.
• Exhale and bend your right knee, but – and this is crucial – try to keep the pinkie toe edge of your left foot glued to the floor.
• Inhale back to the centre and exhale to the other side.
• Repeat 3 - 5 times on each side.

3. Flowing bridge

The bridge is a classic yoga pose that I highly recommend as a glute exercise, as well as a way to stretch your hip flexors.

How to do a glute bridge:

• From a reclining position, bend your knees and place your feet hip-width apart with your hands down next to your hips.
• Start the movement by tucking your pelvis to press your lower back down.
• Inhale and press your feet down, lifting your hips up and reaching your arms overhead. Squeeze your glutes at the top.
• Exhale and lower your hands and hips back down, trying to release your spine one vertebra at a time. Release your tailbone last and let your lower back lift.
• Repeat 3 - 5 times.

Why do my hips feel tight?

Mobility – which we usually call “flexibility” – refers to movement that happens at your joints. While the degree to which your hips can move in any direction depends on the unique structure of your bones, your muscles play a big role.

Your hips are deep ball-and-socket joints surrounded by 20 muscles, and they provide you with both mobility and stability whenever you're moving around. Muscles can’t really be tight or flexible in the way we tend to think of them, but they can be strong or weak, and unfortunately, both scenarios can limit how well your hip joint moves.

When you stretch your hips and experience discomfort or pushback from your body, that’s actually your nervous system detecting an unfamiliar range of motion and bracing to avoid injury. It can mean you don’t want to spend much time stretching, because it’s uncomfortable. That becomes a self-perpetuating cycle that can lead to longer-term health issues, like piriformis syndrome. This is when a small muscle located deep in your buttock tightens and compresses the sciatic nerve. It's estimated to be behind 17% of cases of chronic low back pain according to one 2024 research paper, and it's something Harvard Health reports affects six times more women than men.

Keeping your hips mobile and strong is important for longevity and quality of life as you age.