Yoga for Tight Hips: Improve Your Flexibility with Frog Pose

Frog Pose, originally called Mandukasana in Sanskrit, is a yoga pose that targets your core, hips, and inner thighs. It is also often paired with breathing and mindfulness practices to enhance its benefits to the body and mind.

 

Frog Pose promotes relaxation and helps extricate mental and physical tension.

 

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Frog Pose? Really?” Yes, really. Despite its silly name, Frog Pose is a powerful hip opener that can help you increase your range of motion and reduce tightness in your hips, groin, and lower back. Plus, it’s a fun and playful pose that’s sure to put a smile on your face.

 

So, let’s dive into the details of how to do Frog Pose and why it’s so advantageous for your hip mobility.

 

How to Do a Frog Pose?

 

To start, come down onto your hands and knees in a tabletop position. From here, slowly bring your knees out wider than your hips, keeping your toes pointing outwards.

 

Then, send your hips towards your heels, keeping your arms extended in front of you. You should feel a deep stretch in your hips and groin.

 

If you feel loose in this position, increase the intensity by lowering your forearms to the ground or coming all the way down to your stomach.

 

You can hold this position for about 30 seconds and perform up to 4 sets.

 

Areas Frog Pose Stretch and Strengthen

• Shoulders
• Low back
• Core
• Hips
• Groin muscles
• Inner thighs

 

Why Frog Pose is Beneficial for Hip Mobility

 

Frog Pose is great for improving hip mobility for a few reasons. First, it stretches the hip flexors, which become tight and compressed from prolonged sitting. Stretching the hips regularly can reduce the risk of lower back pain and improve your overall posture.

 

Frog Pose is also significant for stimulating the sacral chakra, which is located in the pelvic area. This chakra is associated with creativity, sexuality, and emotions.

 

By opening up this area, you can tap into your creative side and connect more deeply with your emotions.

 

Adding breathing exercises to Frog Pose may provide even more benefits.

 

 

For example, you may focus your awareness on each breath, sensations that arise in your body, or a specific area of your body, such as your third eye or heart center.

 

Recent studies found that mindfulness-based techniques/exercises significantly reduced chronic pain, and enhanced mental health.

 

Frog Pose has been proven to have a pacifying effect on the body and mind. Though there is more in-depth research materializing, the current studies point to yoga being a useful tool that may help alleviate symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.

 

Yoga is such an efficacious treatment option for many people, especially groups that prefer holistic methods vs conventional psychotherapy or antidepressants.

 

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Frog Pose

 

To get the most out of Frog Pose, it’s important to remember a few key tips. First, make sure your body is warmed up before attempting this stretch. You can do this by practicing some gentle hip openers, such as Butterfly Pose or Pigeon Pose.

 

Secondly, make sure to engage your core muscles throughout the pose. This will help drive the tension that your lower back would normally absorb in this position, but instead, your core would obtain it.

 

Finally, remember to breathe deeply and relax into this stretch. At first, you may feel some discomfort while getting into the frog pose, especially if you are a begginer. But, being intentional about your breathing allows more oxygen to travel to your hips and other surrounding areas, decreasing your discomfort.

 

Focus on listening to your body and finding a comfortable position that allows you to deepen your breath and release tension.

 

Takeaway

 

Frog Pose, or Mandukasana, is an amazing hip-opening exercise that benefits physical and emotional health.

 

It’s important to gently ease your way in and out of this movement, and remember that your flexibility may be inhibited by many factors.

 

Whenever you practice Frog Pose, make sure to breathe deeply, and if you can, implement mindfulness as you hold this pose for further alleviation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Disclaimer:

No content on this site should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other licensed clinicians.