Yoga for Tight Hips: 8 Poses and a 15-Minute Routine

Stiff hips after a long day at a desk are common, and regular stretching can increase how far your hips move. This guide explains what “tight hips” means, walks you through eight beginner poses and combines them into a 15-minute routine. It’s part of our Flexibility & Mobility guides.

In this guide

1. What are tight hips, and why do they get tight?
2. Eight beginner poses for tight hips
3. A 15-minute routine for tight hips
4. Make it easier (props)
5. How long should you hold hip stretches, and how often?
6. Who should skip it or ask a doctor first
7. What the research says
8. Frequently asked questions
9. Sources

What are tight hips, and why do they get tight?

“Tight hips” isn’t one muscle. It usually means stiffness in one or more of three areas:

Area	Main muscles	Poses in this guide that target it
Front of the hip	Hip flexors (psoas, iliacus)	Low Lunge, Bridge Pose
Outer hip and buttocks	Glutes and other outer-hip muscles	Reclined Figure-4, Supine Twist
Inner thigh and groin	Adductors (inner-thigh muscles)	Child’s Pose, Garland, Bound Angle, Happy Baby

The hip flexors lift your thigh and bend you at the hip; the main two, the psoas and the iliacus, run from the lower back and pelvis to the thigh bone. Long hours of sitting can leave them tight and short, which can make your hips feel stiff and achy, says Harvard Health. Cleveland Clinic adds that hips can become too tight when you’re inactive, limiting flexibility.

Tightness is not pain. A stretch should feel like mild pulling. Cleveland Clinic advises contacting a healthcare provider or physical therapist for sharp, pinpoint pain or pain that lasts more than a few hours.

Eight beginner poses for tight hips

Each pose lists what it targets, short steps and an easier version. Move slowly and stop where you first feel a clear stretch.

1. Wide-knee Child’s Pose

Targets: inner thighs and the hips, with a gentle stretch for the lower back.

1. Kneel on your mat with your big toes touching and your knees about as wide as the mat.
2. Breathe out and sit your hips back toward your heels.
3. Walk your hands forward and rest your forehead on the mat.
4. Let your belly settle between your thighs and breathe slowly.

Easier: put a cushion between your hips and heels and a block under your forehead. More in our Child’s Pose guide.

2. Low Lunge

Targets: the hip flexors and the front of the thigh of your back leg.

1. From hands and knees, step your right foot forward between your hands, with the right knee above the ankle.
2. Lower your left knee to the mat and untuck your left toes so the top of the foot rests down.
3. Slide the left knee back a little, then gently shift your hips forward until you feel a stretch at the front of the left hip. Keep your front knee over your ankle.
4. Rest your hands on your front thigh or on blocks, lift your chest and keep your hips level.
5. Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor so your lower back doesn’t arch. Switch sides.

Easier: pad the back knee with a folded blanket, put your hands on blocks and take a shorter step. More in our Low Lunge guide.

Watch out for: a front knee that drifts inward. Keep it pointing the same way as your toes.

3. Garland (supported squat)

Targets: inner thighs and groin, plus the hips and ankles.

1. Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips and your toes turned out.
2. Bend your knees and lower your hips toward the floor only as far as feels comfortable.
3. Bring your palms together at your chest, with your elbows inside your knees.
4. Press your elbows gently against your knees and lift your chest.
5. Keep your knees pointing the same way as your toes. If they drift inward, widen your feet or turn your toes out a little more.

Easier: sit on one or two blocks, put a rolled blanket under your heels if they lift, or hold a sturdy chair in front of you.

4. Bound Angle (Butterfly)

Targets: inner thighs and groin.

1. Sit on the mat, bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together.
2. Let your knees fall out to the sides. They don’t need to touch the floor.
3. Hold your feet or ankles and sit up tall on your sitting bones.
4. If your back stays long, hinge forward a little from the hips. Don’t round down to go deeper.

Easier: sit on a folded blanket so your pelvis can tip forward, shift your hips back so your feet end up farther from your body, or rest each knee on a block or cushion.

5. Bridge Pose

Targets: the front of the hips, which open as your glutes and the backs of your legs work to lift you.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat, about hip-width apart.
2. Rest your arms by your sides, palms down.
3. Press into your feet and lift your hips only as high as you can without arching your lower back.
4. Keep your knees pointing forward, not falling out, and don’t turn your head while your hips are up.
5. Hold for five to eight breaths, lower slowly, and repeat two more times.

Easier: slide a block under the back of your pelvis and rest on it. More in our Bridge Pose guide.

6. Reclined Figure-4 (the knee-friendly Pigeon)

Targets: the outer hip and buttocks, the same area the classic Pigeon Pose works.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat.
2. Cross your right ankle over your left thigh, just above the knee, and flex your right foot.
3. Stay here, or lift your left foot and hold the back of your left thigh, drawing it gently toward you.
4. Keep your head and shoulders relaxed on the floor. Switch sides.

Easier: keep the bottom foot on the floor or on a wall, or loop a strap around the thigh. This lying version is a common alternative to Pigeon: none of your body weight rests on the bent leg, and you control how far the thigh comes in.

7. Happy Baby

Targets: inner thighs, groin and the back of the hips.

1. Lie on your back and draw your knees toward your chest.
2. Open your knees a little wider than your body, toward your armpits.
3. Bring your ankles above your knees so your shins point up, and hold the outer edges of your feet.
4. Gently pull down with your hands while pressing your feet up into them. Keep the back of your head on the floor.

Easier: hold your ankles, shins or the backs of your thighs instead of your feet, or loop a strap around each foot. You can also do one leg at a time.

8. Supine Twist

Targets: the outer hip and the side of the buttocks, with a twist through the back.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat and arms out to the sides.
2. Shift your hips slightly to the right.
3. Breathe out and lower both knees to the left.
4. Keep both shoulder blades on the floor and, if it feels fine for your neck, turn your head to the right. Switch sides.

Easier: put a pillow or block under your knees, or a pillow between them. If your top shoulder lifts, bend that elbow and rest the hand on your ribs.

A 15-minute routine for tight hips

The order goes from kneeling to standing, sitting and lying down, so there are no awkward jumps. The poses and the final rest add up to 14 minutes; moving between poses takes the last minute or so.

Pose	Time	Side
1. Wide-knee Child’s Pose	1 min 30 s	Both together
2. Low Lunge	1 min	Each side
3. Garland	1 min	Both together
4. Bound Angle	1 min 30 s	Both together
5. Bridge Pose	1 min 30 s (3 lifts)	Both together
6. Reclined Figure-4	1 min 15 s	Each side
7. Happy Baby	1 min	Both together
8. Supine Twist	1 min	Each side
Rest on your back	1 min	—

If a minute feels long, do two 30-second holds. Short on time? Low Lunge, Reclined Figure-4 and Bound Angle cover all three areas in about six minutes.

Make it easier (props)

You don’t need equipment, but a few props make these poses more comfortable:

• Two blocks. Under your hands in Low Lunge, under your seat in Garland, under your knees in Bound Angle, under your pelvis in Bridge, under your forehead in Child’s Pose. See how to use yoga blocks.
• A strap. Around your thigh in Reclined Figure-4 and around your feet in Happy Baby. See how to use a yoga strap.
• A folded blanket. Under the back knee in Low Lunge, under your heels in Garland and under your seat in Bound Angle.
• Pillows or cushions. Under your head for the lying poses, and under or between your knees in the twist.
• A wall or sturdy chair. For balance in Low Lunge and Garland, or as a place to rest your foot in Reclined Figure-4.

How long should you hold hip stretches, and how often?

Aim for about one minute per stretch, per side, at least two days a week. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends flexibility exercises for each major muscle group, adding up to 60 seconds per exercise, on two or more days a week (Garber et al., 2011). You can split the minute: Harvard Health suggests repeating a kneeling hip flexor stretch until the holds add up to 60 seconds. Cleveland Clinic suggests five to eight breaths per pose.

Longer or more frequent stretching hasn’t been shown to add much. A 2024 meta-analysis of 77 studies found that the amount, intensity and frequency of stretching made no clear difference to range-of-motion gains (Konrad et al., 2024), so pick a routine you can repeat. More in how long to hold a yoga pose.

The same ACSM guidance also points to health benefits from breaking up long sitting with frequent short bouts of standing and activity; see yoga for desk workers for ideas.

Frequently asked questions

Can tight hips cause lower back pain?

They may play a part. Harvard Health notes that the hip flexors connect to the pelvis and lower spine, so when they’re tight the pelvis can’t tilt and turn as freely, which may add to low back pain. Back pain has many possible causes, so talk to your doctor if your back pain is severe or doesn’t settle.

How long does it take to loosen tight hips?

It varies. In the two hip trials above, people stretched for six and 10 weeks. Expect gradual change, not a quick fix.

Is it OK to stretch my hips every day?

Yes, for most healthy adults, as long as it doesn’t hurt. The ACSM’s two days a week is a minimum, not a limit. In one trial, frail older adults stretched their hip flexors twice a day for 10 weeks, with a clinician checking in twice a week. A large review found that stretching more often didn’t clearly add to the gains (Konrad et al., 2024), so daily practice is optional. If your hips feel sore the next day, take a rest day. If the backs of your legs are tight too, see yoga for tight hamstrings.

Is Pigeon Pose good for tight hips?

It stretches the same outer-hip area as the Reclined Figure-4, but with your weight over the bent front leg, which is harder to control. Start with the reclined version.