Understanding why your body feels stiff
This is another post that came to me in the form of a Q&A from a yoga therapy client.
Question:
I have really tight hips! It feels good (sort of) to stretch them, but they always tighten up again and sometimes they hurt. Can I do anything to help tight hips with yoga?
Answer:
Tightness can mean different things to different people. Sometimes, people with tight hips notice that they aren’t very flexible. Sometimes there are sensations of tension or stiffness in the body. And sometimes, having tight hips come with pain, either in the hips themselves or in surrounding areas, such as the low back. When working with tight hips, it’s important to consider both the message of tightness and the related function.
What is your body telling you when you feel tightness?
Sensations of tightness, tension, stiffness, or pain are all messages from your body. The purpose of these sensations is to get your attention, and motivate you to change something so that your body can be healthier and function better.
Unfortunately, your body doesn’t speak English so there’s some interpretation needed. Fortunately, you don’t need to understand the exact message your body is sending in order to help it feel better.
An Approach to Help Tight Hips with Yoga Therapy
Some of the ways I work with clients around understanding the message of tightness are:
- Acknowledge the message and approach it with curiosity and kindness. Trying to fix it or make it go away can be counterproductive because the message is actually your guide in the healing process, and because the stress of trying to find THE ANSWER can contribute to more tightness.
- Move slowly and in a smaller range, so that you can observe how the sensations change throughout the movement.
- Include whole body work and a variety of movements, rather than fixating on the movements that provoke sensations of tightness.
- Notice patterns of bracing or gripping, as well as how the tightness responds to different practices (for better or for worse) to get a sense of what contributes to how you feel.
The function of tension:
We don’t always need more flexibility. Sometimes people assume more flexible is better, but a body that is less flexible can be stronger and more responsive in certain situations. Ultimately, we want to feel good and move well so we can do the activities we enjoy – so if tightness is getting in the way of that for you, working on improving function in nearby areas of the body can be the solution.
I often tell my clients all tension is functional. This means that when there is tightness or lack of mobility, there is always a good reason. One of the main reasons why you feel tight or notice less mobility is that you may be recruiting certain muscles to try and create stability because other muscles aren’t doing their jobs.
If stretching isn’t working to decrease sensations of tightness or improve flexibility over time, I work with my clients to add in strengthening poses and movements, and to improve coordination and control. This can help create more well-rounded stability so that the muscles that are tight no longer need to be – and when this occurs, tightness will naturally dissipate.
To see some examples of how I might begin to help tight hips with yoga, watch the video below. Please note, this is just an example and is intended for exploratory purposes only. Everyone’s tight hips are different, and a personalized program may be needed to figure out how to relieve your hip tightness.
Please note, the video above is just an example. It’s intended for exploratory purposes only. Everyone’s hips are different, and a personalized program may be needed to figure out how to help tight hips with yoga therapy.
If you’d like to learn more, feel free to sign up for a free consultation to talk more about your needs.
