General Considerations: Poses & Adaptations for Hip Health & Hip Issues

When considering asana for students with hip issues:

  1. Be cautious with twisting.
  2. Instead of using the cue, “hug the midline,” with these students, focus more on making space and avoiding any “gripping.”
  3. For arthritis of the hip, see links below.

Twisting Cautions

  • The deeper the twist, the more stress that may be placed on hips, so use caution with twists.
  • Asana Category: Twists

When the hips tip from weakness in the gluteus medius or tightness in the adductors, the outer hip is strained…The more the pelvis rotates in twisting poses, the greater the stress on the hips. When the rear hip drops, the front hip pulls up, causing both gripping and pulling in the gluteus medius. – Doug Keller

Gripping vs. Making Space

Be Cautious with “Hug the Midline”

In postures such as Parivritta Trikonasana or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, the adductors are strongly pulled when the pubic bone is drawn back away from the inner thigh of the forward leg  “In these poses, we are often instructed to “hug the midline,” but in doing so we may actually be gripping too tightly, failing to create the space necessary for the bone to find its center in the hip joint. – Doug Keller

Arthritis

For arthritis of the hip, see: