A different kind of hip opener: yoga against a flat back

Gentle stretching of the outside of the pelvis in yoga: the ultimate support for a healthy back

The outside of the pelvis is a central area of our body that is often overlooked in yoga practice. Wrongly so! After all, it plays a major role in our mobility, healthy walking and standing. People with a flat back in particular can benefit from stretching and strengthening the outside of the pelvis. In this blog post, we take a look at the importance of this area of the body. We look at the benefits of targeted stretching and introduce exercises that can help counteract postural problems.

What is the outside of the pelvis?

The outside of the pelvis comprises the muscles and tissue that surround the outer area of the pelvis. These include the gluteus medius, the gluteus minimus, the piriformis muscle and the fasciae, which ensure the stability of the pelvis and hips.

These outer hip muscles have an important function in the ability to rotate the pelvis. They are involved in all everyday movements such as walking, standing up, sitting down, etc. If these muscles are tense, too long or too short or asymmetrical, postural problems occur. These may not always be visible, but have an effect on the back and overall posture. The piriformis muscle in particular, which is involved in the internal or external rotation of the pelvis depending on the angle, is often underestimated.

Why is stretching the outside of the pelvis important?

In yoga with a focus on body alignment and posture, we place great emphasis on balancing the muscles in terms of mobility and stability. This helps to maintain or achieve a healthy posture and flexibility. One area that is shortened and/or very tense in many people (often also on one side) is the outside of the pelvis. These tensions are initiated by our natural asymmetry of the body and can be caused by prolonged sitting, repetitive movement or one-sided strain. This can lead to typical complaints such as piriformis syndrome.

Targeted stretching of the outside of the pelvis sometimes works wonders, especially for people with a flat back (hypolordotic posture) - a posture in which the natural curvature of the lumbar spine is flattened. This is because people with a very flat lumbar spine are usually "stuck" in a chronic outward rotation of the pelvic bones on both sides. This results in severe tension in the sacrum area and often causes back pain. In order to allow the pelvis to rotate inwards again, the external pelvic muscles need sufficient length. Targeted stretching exercises on the outside of the pelvis can help effectively here. Restoring inward rotation relieves the lumbar spine and allows movements to be performed naturally again (without compensation).

You can find out exactly how a flat back develops and how you can restore the pelvis's ability to rotate in my courses "Unlock Your Pelvis for Women" and "Unlock Your Pelvis for Men„. 

Gentle stretching exercises for the outside of the pelvis

In yoga, there are various exercises that stretch the outside of the pelvis and thus relieve pressure on the back. Try it out now and treat yourself to this 90-minute yoga session for the outside of your pelvis:

If you don't have 90 minutes right now, here are some exercises that can be particularly helpful and that you can do straight away:

1. Lateral lunge with inward rotation (Skandasana variation):
   • Stand up straight and then take a deep lunge to the side with one leg, keeping the other leg straight. Bring your bent knee slightly inwards (towards your big toe) and push your pelvis outwards as far as you can without turning your pelvis/upper body.
   • Keep your weight on the bent leg and feel the simultaneous stretch and tension in the outside of the pelvis of the bent leg.
   • This exercise encourages inward rotation of the pelvis on the side of the bent leg and, if performed correctly, is very strenuous for most people.
2. Reclining Pigeon (Supta Kapotasana):
   • Lie on your back and bring one leg towards your chest. Place the foot of the opposite leg on the thigh of the bent leg.
   • Gently pull the leg towards your body with both hands.
   • This exercise opens the hips and stretches the outside of the pelvis while keeping the back in a relaxed position.
3. Classic Pigeon (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana):
   • Start in a quadruped position and bring one leg forward so that the foot is pointing towards your wrist and the leg is at a right angle in front of you.
   • Extend your back leg straight back while gently lowering your pelvis towards the floor.
   • This exercise stretches not only the outer hip, but also the hip flexor of the back leg, which together has a particularly positive effect on the lower back.

Conclusion

Stretching the outside of the pelvis is an effective method of improving pelvic mobility, relieving tension in the lower back and counteracting a flat back. Regularly practicing these yoga poses can not only increase hip mobility, but also improve posture in the long term. Try it out and integrate these exercises or my pelvic class (Unlock Your Pelvis for Women / Unlock Your Pelvis for Men) into your everyday life - your body will thank you!