flexibility

Hi,
I was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations for good stretches for the hip flexors. I have bursitis in both my hips and this causes alot of reduced flexibility.

Any ideas??

Thanks!!

Shay

Welcome to the Forums Shay!

Have you looked through the stretches for dancers thread yet?

i did browse through the stretches for dancers thread, but didn't find anything to specific to hips that i hadn't encountered before. Thanks for the heads up tho! :wink:

It was an older thread so I wasn't sure if you'd come across it yet...
Sorry that I don't have anything else to offer you but, hopefully, someone else here may...

a couple from yoga.

Sitting stretch (don't remember the name of this pose)

Sit on the floor with your legs crossed Indian style, feet anywhere that's comfortable. Put your hands on the floor in front of you, arms straight. Keeping your back straight, not at all curved, breathe in. As you breathe out, slide your hands away from you slowly. Hold, breathe in again, the deepen the stretch by sliding your fingers away an inch or two more and hold. Great stretch for the hips and butt. Take your time with this. Two or three minutes, long enough to feel the tension in your muscles, then feel it relax.


Another good one, but way challenging. The Pigeon pose.

Lie flat on your stomach. Leave one leg straight on the floor. Bend the other leg at the knee and bring the leg under your body. You should feel the sole of your foot under the opposite side of your torso. Relax the hip of your straight leg into the floor as much as you can. If you can't relax in this pose, do the pose above. If you can do it, it's a great hip and butt stretch. If you 'd like, deepen the stretch by sliding the hand from your bent leg side under your torso, into the hollow formed by your waist. Then relax and hold. Ahh! Don't forget to breathe.

Thanks alot! I have always been interested in Yoga but never found time to take any classes. The breathing really helps with relaxation, i've always liked yoga and pilates focus on it. I find stretches taught in dance classes often over look the importance of this.

Cheers!

"If the dancers are attempting to prove that gravity does not exist, then it's ballet.
If the dancers are attempting to demonstrate that gravity does exist and it's a bitch, then it's modern.
If the dancers are attempting to demonstrate that gravity does exist but they'd rather die fighting it than give in to it, then it's jazz."

- Tom Parke

Lunges are the easiest and very effective to stretch your hip flexors. Cross legged sit is a problem if you have tight back and hip flexors, you won't be able to sit with straight back. Later on it's a great addon to your stretches.

You can do several types of lunges, depending on your preferences. Kneelling On the floor, or shin on the chair, or karete stance hip flexor stretch.