Release emotional blockages with these hip opening yoga poses

When it comes to emotional wellbeing, it’s important to always acknowledge your current state with no judgement. Emotional blockages can be created in many different ways, but most often it is through the resistance of these that they form as blocked energy. As it’s not always pleasant to accept them, instead we choose to bottle them inside so that we don’t have to face “the reality”. The truth is, emotions, just as thoughts, come and go. But this only happens if we bring our awareness to our present state, accept it, understand it with no judgement and then release it.

As the mind and the physical body are connected, any negative thought and emotional patterns that you may experience can be stored in different parts of the body, which result in stiffness, discomfort and even disease in some cases. Negative or emotional blockages are usually stored in the hips and thighs. Through specific asana practice, we can learn to release and reach emotional freedom. Hip opening asanas teach us to let go and open Swadishthana, the sacral chakra. As the hips are part of this energy centre, when we work on balancing the sacral chakra, we regain our joy for life. Swadishthana governs pleasure in life, self-love, the feminine energy of the self and creativity. Balancing this chakra through specific asanas, creates space for all these aspects to abundantly manifest themselves. We fall in love with life and find the sweetness of it, learning to enjoy every moment.

Releasing tension in the hips also brings us closer to our feminine self, embracing the nurturing loving, grounded and open to receive qualities. We are only able to receive when we create space and a welcoming intention for it. Hip opening asanas can be challenging especially if you have a lot of tension in this area so take it one step at a time. Practice these asanas with gentleness and care, without pushing your body to open too much before it is ready. Remember that as you let go from the hips, this release also occurs in your emotional self, so take it slow. Know that hatha yoga is not about reaching the asana, but it is about the journey you are experiencing when exploring the asana. When you practice the below poses, bring your awareness to the sensations in the hip area. Notice how you might be resisting the opening and breathe through it, learning to surrender. Give yourself a little bit of time during each one, allowing your body to open at its own pace.