Updated September 7, 2026 06:47AM
This quick yoga practice is all about your tight hips. The poses can seem deceptively simple in that there’s nothing tricky in terms of the shapes. However, they are fairly intense and effective hip stretches, including Goddess, Triangle, and Extended Side Angle. So if you’re looking for some flexibility in your hips, quads, and hamstrings, this is the practice for you.
The yoga routine is a slightly slower yet still challenging flow with longer holds to target muscular tension and relief. The yoga routine also includes some hamstring release since stiffness there typically accompanies tight hips.
15-Minute Hip Stretches
I’m not using any props, but if you have blocks and things like that at home, it’s always a good idea to have stuff close by in case you need it.
Child’s Pose
We are going to start in a wide-legged Child’s Pose. Bring your big toes together and let your knees go as wide as you can get them without causing too much strain through the inner thighs and lower back. Bring your hands in front of you as you melt your forehead toward the mat. Let your belly relax and your hips be heavy. Imagine you can breathe directly into the place where you feel the most intensity. Take 3 more breaths here.
Hip Circles
Come to hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders, knees underneath your hips. Kick your right heel upward, toward the sky, and trace big circles with that knee. Try to keep your left arm and left leg really stable and steady. Then reverse in the other direction. Notice how your hip feels.
Lizard Pose
Step your right foot to the outer edge of your right hand in Lizard. Roll onto the outer edge of your right foot, pressing your knee out to the side.
Maybe you come onto your fingertips here and open through your chest. Take several big, slow, steady breaths here.
Low Lunge With Side Bend
Bring your toes to face forward and push into your front foot and back knee to lift your chest upright into Low Lunge. Catch hold of your left wrist with your right hand. Inhale as you straighten a little taller, and then exhale as you side bend over toward the right, really pulling on your left wrist in a big side body stretch. Come all the way back to center.
Half Splits
Place your fingertips down on the mat and straighten your right leg as you fold forward, hinging at your hips in Half Splits. Bend into your right knee again.
Cow Face Pose
Slide your left foot more toward the right side of the mat. Then step your right foot back and cross your right knee behind your left, widening your feet so that they’re away from your hips. See if you can send your hips back until you’re sitting back with your left knee stacked on your right knee in Cow Face Pose.
Stay here or, if you want, bring your arms in front of you and wrap your left arm under your right arm in Eagle Arms.
Stay here or fold forward to intensify the stretch in your hips. If this is too much, stay sitting upright nice and high. You’re not here forever, just for 5 deep breaths.
If you had folded down like what I’m doing, lift your way back up, release your arms, and come back to all fours.
Downward-Facing Dog
Let’s find Downward-Facing Dog with your hands shoulder-distance apart, feet hip-distance apart, and go ahead and peddle the feet, sway the hips, or move in any way that feels good to you here.
Following this big stretch, come back to your hands and knees and find those same Hip Circles on the other side followed by Lizard, Low Lunge with Side Bend, Half Splits, Cow Face, and Downward-Facing Dog.
Goddess Pose
Bend your knees generously and roll all the way up to standing, inch by inch. Step your feet apart and turn your heels in, toes outward, so your feet are at about a 45-degree angle in Goddess. Inhale as you reach your arms up and exhale as you bend your elbows and knees in a very wide squat. Think of squeezing your glutes to push your knees open a little wider and squeezing your shoulder blades to take your elbows wide. Repeat several times.
Bring your hands to your thighs and drop one shoulder down and bring the other shoulder back in a little twist. Then switch sides so the other shoulder drops.
Side Lunge or Skandasana
Come back to center, bend your right knee as you straighten your left leg, and see if you can sink your hips all the way down as you flex your left foot so the toes point toward the ceiling in Skandasana. We’re going to move in and out of Skandasana on either side. So then your left knee bends and your right leg is straight. Sink down as low as you can get. Take it once more on each side, sinking your hips down, then come back to center.
Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend
Turn your feet so they’re parallel to the short side of your mat and fold on down in Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend. You can take any arm variation that feels good to you. Breathe here. When you’re ready, bring your hands to your hips and your chest parallel to the mat.
Push into your feet to lift all the way back to standing.
Extended Side Angle
Turn your left toes to point forward toward the top of the mat. Bend into your front knee and bring your left arm either onto your thigh or bring your left fingertips to the mat as your right arm extends overhead in Extended Side Angle.
Think of reaching your right fingertips away from your right foot in a big side body stretch.
Warrior 2
Push into your feet to lift yourself into Warrior 2.
Reverse Warrior
Reverse your right hand down and your left arm up in Reverse Warrior.
Then come back to center, straighten your legs, turn your left toes in, and switch sides. Find Extended Side Angle, Warrior 2, and Reverse Warrior on your other side. Then straighten your legs, turn your toes in, and step to the top of the mat. Either go straight to Downward-Facing Dog or, if you want, take a little flow here. Inhale, arms rise. Exhale, fold all the way forward. Inhale, halfway lift with a flat back. Exhale, plant your palms and step back to Plank. Lower all the way down through Chaturanga to your belly. Inhale, take a little Cobra, and exhale into Downward-Facing Dog.
Three-Legged Dog
From Down Dog, reach your right leg toward the sky, bend your right knee, and open up your hip in a really big stretch here.
Pigeon Pose
Then bring your right knee behind your right wrist, stretching your left leg behind you. Try not to lean on one side more than the other, and then fold forward into Pigeon Pose. Take 5 slow, steady breaths here. Try to let gravity do the work for you as you relax your hips and legs, and also try to soften your arms and your upper back as much as possible.
Then slowly lift back up from the forward fold. Option one, you’re going to hang out exactly as you are in a little backbend.
Option two, if you’d like, you’re welcome to play around with a little quad stretch for a few more breaths. Start to bend into your left knee, reach back with your left hand and see if you can pull your foot in a little, stretching into the quads, and release into Downward-Facing Dog.
Then repeat Pigeon Pose on your second side.
Downward-Facing Dog
Come into your final Downward Dog and make any little movements and adjustments here that feel good for you.
Closing
Bring your knees to the mat and your legs in front of you so that you can find a seat, however is comfortable for you. Sit up nice and tall and take a few breaths here, observing how your hips and the lower body in general feels. For these quick, short practices, I like to end with a seated meditation as opposed to Savasana, but you’re welcome to lie back down if you prefer. Give yourself a few moments to really process the work that you’ve done, feeling its effects, not only physically but also emotionally. Maybe you give thanks to your body and thanks to yourself for making the time for this practice. I hope you enjoyed it and that you feel better.
