7 Essential Yoga Hip Stretches That Won’t Bother Your Knees

I’d been sitting on an unforgivingly rigid, wooden desk chair for so many hours that my glutes were essentially numb. I stood up and my hips immediately cried out for help. To make it up to them, I took myself through some quick stretches on YouTube. But as I made my way through Child’s Pose, Low Lunge, and Pigeon, another part of my body started talking to me—my knees.

I realized that each of these poses placed a lot of pressure on my knees, and although the discomfort was sorta manageable, it definitely wasn’t comfortable. And the next day, they were complaining to me. Maybe my knees just needed to deal while I stretched my hips, I thought. But then again, I didn’t remember “suck it up” being a core yoga principle.

There are sooo many hip stretches and they’re incredibly popular. But I never considered how someone else’s go-to yoga hip stretches might feel pretty intense on my knees. Of course, there are plenty of yoga hip stretches that are knee-friendly, I simply needed to do a little research before I stretched.

When I opt for the following poses, I’m better able to stay in the present moment, breathe into the tight parts of my body, and explore sensations that I would otherwise be too distracted to feel due to the running commentary of “Ouch” on repeat in my mind. It’s yet another instance of yoga teaching me to look out for my needs.

7 Yoga Hip Stretches That Are Easy on the Knees

These stretches will still give you the release your hips are craving—without sacrificing any other body part.

1. High Lunge

You’ll experience a similar stretch in High Lunge as in Low Lunge—but here  your knees don’t bear any weight. Since High Lunge is more active, you feel less of a deep stretch in the hip flexors of your back leg, although bending your back knee can help intensify it if you’re looking for more sensation.

2. Bridge Pose

That craveworthy hip-crease release you feel in your back leg in Low Lunge? Both hips experience a similar stretch in Bridge Pose. For a more passive but equally profound stretch,  place a block or another prop underneath your sacrum for a restorative version of the pose.

3. Happy Baby

The hip-and-inner-thigh-stretch combo of Happy Baby is enough motivation to practice the non-weight-bearing pose. The fact that it’s a playful reprieve to long hours of sitting in a chair is the cherry on top.

4. Figure 4 

A less-intense cousin of Pigeon, Figure 4 can be practiced in so many ways. If you’re tending to super tight hips, crossing your ankle over your knee might be more than enough of a stretch. You can add more intensity by gently pressing your lifted thigh away from you and/or rising onto the ball of your supporting foot. Same goes for drawing your supporting leg toward your chest. You can also practice the stretch while sitting, lying on your back, even standing.

5. Reclined Bound Angle

You can modulate the intensity of Reclining Bound Angle by varying how far your heels are from your hips. The postures is also a much-needed reminder that sometimes the best way to release physical (and emotional) tension is by letting go.

6. Seated Wide-Legged Forward Bend 

Placing folded blankets or rolled towels underneath your knees as support in Seated Wide-Legged Forward Bend helps ensure you don’t hyperextend your knee joints while you’re stretching your hips. It also eases pressure on the hamstrings.

7. Dancer Pose (Against a Chair)

In my opinion, Dancer Pose is one of the most underrated yoga poses—perhaps because people assume you have to hoist your leg behind you in a grand gesture in order to practice it. In reality, you can simply wrap a strap or towel around your ankle and hold onto it with one hand while you grasp the back of a chair with the opposite hand to experience one of the most low-key yet seriously effective yoga hip stretches.