10-Minute Yoga Routine to Open and Stretch Your Hips
These yoga hip stretches feel oh so good.

Most parts of your body naturally get some sort of stretch throughout the day. Think of the rotational stretch you get when you turn to look behind you, or the leg stretch when you lean down to pick something up.
However, your hips kind of get ignored. Unless you frequently sit cross-legged, your hips tend to remain pretty closed and rigid in most of your movements. Opening up the hips can release a lot of tension—mentally and physically.
In this episode of Flow, yoga instructor Faith Hunter guides you through an intermediate yoga sequence that stretches and opens the hips, which will improve joint mobility. Having a full range of motion allows you to fully participate in life’s activities, whether it’s chasing a soccer ball or a toddler (or a little bit of both).
Before completing this routine, Faith suggests starting with sun salutations to warm up. This is a series of poses done in succession and repeated as a cycle several times. If you do not have your own preferred sun salutation, try this traditional sun salutation sequence.
This yoga series to stretch the hips includes the following poses:
- Downward Facing Dog
- Downward Facing Dog Split
- High Lunge Pose
- Warrior 2
- Goddess Pose
- Plank Pose
- Chatarunga (Low Push Up)
- Upward Facing Dog
- Child’s Pose
- Reverse Triangle
- Standing Split
- Floating Pigeon Pose
As you move through these yoga poses, you should start to feel a little more fluidity (and a lot less tension) in those hips. It might be challenging the first time you do it, but as you continue practicing, you will find yourself going deeper into each pose.
For more yoga poses that open the hips, try this empowering 10-minute yoga routine.
Faith Hunter is a yoga instructor and owner of Embrace Yoga DC, a yoga training & community center located in Washington DC.
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[SOUND] Hey guys, this is Faith Hunter,
and welcome to Hippy Shake.
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It's all about releasing tension
through your hips and your groins.
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The only thing I do suggest is that you
give yourself a little time to warm up by
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taking somewhere between two to three
of your own personal forms of sun
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salutations.
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[MUSIC]
Let's go and
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begin in downward
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facing dog.
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[MUSIC]
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So, as you make your way into down dog,
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bring your feet about
hip bone distance apart.
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Spread your fingers wide, thumbs in and
pinkie fingers to the edges of your mat.
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So it's all about the hips.
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So, let's bend the knees and shift those
hips a little bit from right to left.
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Just find your own personal organic and
generous movement here.
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I want you to have fun in this practice,
but also remember to breath deeply and
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move mindfully.
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Take another deep inhale.
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Exhale, straightening
those legs in down dog.
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Slowly lift your right leg up to the sky,
bend your right knee, and
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open up your hip.
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So, you're stacking your right
hip on top of your left, but
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as you do that,
try to keep your shoulders in line.
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Draw your right knee up
a little bit higher.
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If you need to,
you can move that leg around,
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maybe even make little circles with
that knee, releasing up that hip joint.
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One more breath, and
then straighten your right leg, inhale.
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Draw your right knee
in towards your chest,
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step your right foot between your hands.
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Take a deep breath in and
slowly rise up into your high lunge.
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As you hang out here in your high lunge,
feel your right hip draw back in space and
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keep your left leg nice and strong.
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Lift your chest and
reach through your fingertips.
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Take two more breaths here.
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Deep inhale, exhale.
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One more breath, deep inhale, and exhale.
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Slowly expand and
open out into warrior 2 pose.
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Now you probably didn't know warrior
2 is all about opening up the hips.
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So, I want you to take that right knee and
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track it right in line with
your right middle toe.
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Draw the belly deep into your spine and
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feel that right hip wrap
under just a little bit.
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Actively reach through your arms.
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Two more breaths here.
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Deep inhale, exhale,
one more awesome breath.
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Making our way into goddess pose.
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So, you're gonna take your right toes,
turn them in just a little, and
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then turn your left toes out.
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So your toes are out,
and your heels are in,
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and you're gonna bend deep into your knees
and I just want your to rock a little bit.
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Again, it's called Hippy Shake, so I just
want you to move those hips right to left.
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Give yourself a couple of breaths here.
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You can do whatever you want with
your arms, it's so unimportant.
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Maybe sink and go a little bit deeper.
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And then when your ready,
find your way back into warrior 2.
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Open the arms wide.
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Gaze forward right over
your right fingertips,
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take another deep breath in and as you
exhale, lower both hands down to the mat.
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Step back into your plank pose,
shoulders over your wrists.
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Take a deep inhale, arms bend for
your low push up chaturanga.
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Inhale, upward facing dog or cobra pose.
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Curl your toes, hips to the sky,
downward facing dog.
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Give yourself about three or four
breaths here, pausing in your down dog.
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And if you need to, you can bend your
knees, shift your hips from right to left.
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Letting go of any tension there.
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Straighten the legs back out.
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Deep inhale and exhale.
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Let's play over there on the other side.
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Left leg lifts to the sky, inhale,
bend your left knee and open up your hip.
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Remember, keep your shoulders
in line with one another.
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As that left knee lifts feel free to
circle it around moving it in both
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directions.
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[MUSIC]
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Keep that right leg strong, and then draw
your left knee up a little bit higher.
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Hold here for one more breath.
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Straighten your left leg.
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Inhale, draw your left knee
in towards your chest, and
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then step your left foot
between your hands.
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Slowly ground down through you front foot.
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Inhale, rise up into your high lunge.
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Draw the left tip back and
lift your heart high.
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Strong through your right leg,
extending through your right heel.
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Two more breaths here.
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Keep bending in your left knee.
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Deep inhale, exhale, one more breath.
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Expanding into warrior 2,
drop your back heel down.
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Open the arms wide and
sink into your war 2.
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Feel that left thigh open out,
tailbone down, belly in,
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expand through your arms,
relax your shoulders.
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Hold here for two more breaths.
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Deep inhale, exhale, one more breath.
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Finding our way in goddess pose.
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Turn your left toes in and
your right toes out.
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And this time let's find stillness.
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Reach your arms up over your head.
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Draw the belly in, send your
tailbone down, and bend your knees.
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The only thing I need you to
be mindful of are your knees.
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Try not to let them roll in.
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Keep your thighs moving out and your
knees tracking in line with your toes.
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Sink the hips, find stillness,
lift the arms up, relax your shoulders.
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Only two more breaths,
deep inhale, exhale.
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One more breath, open wide, warrior 2,
turning back to the front of your mat.
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Left knee bends, arms extend wide.
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Two breaths, inhale, exhale.
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Take another full inhale.
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Extend and reach and then exhale.
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Lower your hands to the front of your mat.
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Step back, plank pose.
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Slowly lower down, chaturanga dandasana.
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Inhale, upward facing dog or cobra pose.
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Curl your toes, hips to the sky,
downward facing dog.
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Pause here for a few breaths and
if you need to,
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you can always lower
your knees to the mat.
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Bring your hips to your heals.
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And rest in child's pose.
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Give yourself time.
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Soften and release.
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Deep inhale, exhale.
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[MUSIC]
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Give your hips a little time to feel
the ease but also feel the release.
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Harness your strength and let's make
our way into our second sequence.
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Curl your toes and
straighten your legs for down dog.
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On the inhale,
lift your right leg up to the sky,
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bend your right knee,
open up that hip once again.
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Take another deep breath in,
inhale, straighten the right leg.
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As you exhale,
draw your knee in toward your chest,
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step your foot between your hands and
rise up into your high lunge, inhale.
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Breathing in,
expand right into your warrior 2.
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We've been here already.
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Sink into that right leg.
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Slowly inhale, straighten your right leg,
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lift your right arm up to the sky,
and find your triangle pose.
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Exhale, come back into warrior 2,
bend your knees, and
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sink into your goddess pose.
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Bring your hands to your heart center,
drop in, and go deep.
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Close your eyes and
feel the fire churning.
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Feel the heat and the strength you're
cultivating right there in your legs.
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Feel the release as you go deeper
into your goddess pose, and
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expand and find freedom in your hips.
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Two more breath.
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Deep inhale, exhale.
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One more breath.
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Straighten both legs, slowly turn forward,
release your hands to the mat,
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and lift your back leg up to the sky for
your standing split.
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Don't worry, this is a quickie.
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Take your right hand, grab your
right ankle, pull it in, and fold.
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Press down through your right food,
bend your right knee and
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bring your left leg forward.
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Lift you left knee up in towards your
chest, hold here for another breath.
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Stay with me guys.
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Flex your left food, cross your left
ankle above your right knee and
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then bend your right knee
sinking into a floating pigeon.
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Bring your hands to your heart center,
and hold here.
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Deep inhale, exhale.
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Feel the outward rotation
of your left thigh.
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Belly in and hands to your heart.
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One more breath.
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As you come out of the pose,
press down through your right foot.
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Straighten your right leg.
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You're probably feeling a little
fire in your right hip.
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Step your left foot behind you.
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Return to your high lunge.
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Inhale, arms up, and then exhale.
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Plant the palms to the mat,
step back, plank pose.
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Arms bend for your chaturanga.
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Inhale, heart lifts for up dog.
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And exhale, downward facing dog.
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Give yourself a few breaths here in
down dog and again if you need to,
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pedal your feet,
shift your hips from right to left.
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Deep inhale, exhale.
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One more breath.
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Left leg goes to the sky breathing in.
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Bend your left knee, open your hip.
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Take another deep breath in.
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Inhale, straighten your left leg.
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Exhale, draw your left knee
in towards your chest and
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step your left foot between your hands.
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Taking your time,
rise up into your high lunge.
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Breathe in and exhale.
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Take one more breath.
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Expand warrior 2.
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Hold here.
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Sink into your war 2 and
we're not here long.
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Straighten your left leg,
lift your arms up and
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turn the toes in making your
way into your goddess pose.
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Sinking those hips,
hands to your heart, shoulders down.
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This time, we're going to inhale,
expand the arms, and
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reach through your fingertips.
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Turn the palms up,
shoulders relax, drop in.
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Go two more breaths with me.
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Deep inhale, exhale.
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One more breath.
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Straighten the legs.
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Turn your left toes forward.
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Fold over your left thigh.
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Hands to the mat.
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Take another inhale and lift your right
leg up to the sky for your standing split.
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Left hand comes to your ankle,
and fold over.
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Two more breaths here.
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Deep inhale, exhale.
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One more breath.
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You can always keep your
hands on the floor.
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Bend your base leg slowly,
take your time to lift your chest.
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Come all the way up to stand.
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Just simply playing with balance here.
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Grab hold of your right shin,
bend your left knee,
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cross your right ankle over your left
thigh, slightly above your left knee.
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Keep bending in that knee,
sinking your hips.
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Bringing your hands to your heart.
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Keep the spine long.
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Try not to collapse in your shoulders.
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Draw your hips back.
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Two more breaths.
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Allow your right knee and
your right hip to relax.
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One more breath.
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Inhale, press into that left leg.
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Feel the strength you're
cultivating in that left thigh and
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ease that right foot behind you for
your high lunge.
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Last one, breathing in,
open and lift, exhale.
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Lower your hands to the mat.
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Step it back, plank pose.
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Slowly lower down, chaturanga low push up.
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Inhale, up dog or cobra pose.
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This time, lower your knees to the mat,
bring your big toes together.
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Knees go wide and draw your hips back for
a nice, wide child's pose.
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Take a deep inhale and exhale.
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Relax, allow your forehead
to rest on the mat.
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[MUSIC]
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When you're ready,
slowly being to lift your body up.
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There you have it, guys.
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If you didn't know, our hips hold
a significant amount of tension and
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stress, not only on the physical level,
but also mentally.
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This practice is perfect for
releasing some of that tension and
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finding freedom in your hips.
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Thank you so much for joining me here on
HealthiNation, and I'll see you soon.
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