Day 4: Tight Hips

This evening after my pilates class, per my instructor’s recommendation, I pull out my foam roller and decide to find a video to guide me through rolling out my annoyingly tight hips. Once I find one, I lay out my yoga mat, grab my foam roller, and settle in.

I’d like you to locate the upper outer hip, and we’re going to go just underneath there.

I roll onto my hip and take a sharp inhale. Breathe in, breathe out. The pain is all-encompassing.

Once you feel the tightness, go ahead and stay there. Take some deep breaths.

We hold onto so much in our bodies. Releasing emotion releases physical tightness, and releasing tightness in our physical body releases emotions you may not know you were holding onto.

We’re going to hold for 30 seconds. Just imagine that muscle releasing.

A friend going through a breakup told me the other day that after going to a yoga class with so many twists, she came home and could not stop crying. It was as though all the stretching and twisting finally allowed her (or perhaps, forced her) to let go.

Go ahead and roll onto the side of the leg and again, roll until you find a spot that’s the tightest. Take some deep breaths and we’re going to hold this for 30 seconds.

My body tenses as I find another tight spot.

Imagine releasing.

I breathe in and out. I think about today. The successful morning lessons. The humid air at recess. The small spoonful of dulce de leche from D’s dad’s presentation on Argentina. The meetings I had that left me wondering about my future. The children dancing and talking nonstop in the afternoon during our show rehearsal. My headache after dismissal. The deep breaths I took for each move during pilates.

We’re now going to get the inner thigh, or adductor.

Roll over. Find another tight spot. Tense up. Breathe.

Just stay there. Keep breathing.

I’m reminded of a podcast episode I listened to this summer about seeking closure after a breakup. How she recommended surrendering to the emotional waves that would wash over you, letting yourself cry. Facing it. Because if you don’t, she warned, it will show up later, in a different way.

Congratulations. You’ve completed all four exercises to release tight hips and glutes.

I’m going to need to do that more often.