Before or after doing any Greenville athletic club activity stressing the hips, here’s a couple of quick, go-to hip openers to target typical areas of accumulated tightness/tension.

Brought to you by YogaVibes, this free yoga video breaks down the key elements of Pigeon Pose, an incredible hip opening yoga pose.

While Pigeon is a blissful experience for the more flexible folk, bliss isn’t always the case for the average gym enthusiast. Oftentimes, the hips are way too tight to get comfortable, much less practice this pose with healthy alignment. If the alignment is out of whack, there’s really no point to forcing your body into Pigeon. You’re doing more harm than good. Also, Pigeon is probably not your ticket to hip opening bliss if you have knee pain or a knee injury.

So…what do you do in lieu of Pigeon?

Plop into Savasana? Skip it? Oh no. There are options, my friends. Always.

Before a full Pigeon deconstruction goes down in this online yoga demo, you’ll learn a sweet Pigeon alternative, so you can still reap the deep hip-opening benefits of Pigeon, while protecting injury prone areas.

Greenville gym athletes…meet Thread the Needle Pose.

This modified Pigeon Pose will help you to really start opening up your hips in preparation for a workout or to wind down after a workout.

As you’re there, remember to breathe. Don’t force it. Savor it.

Desire more hip-opening goodness? Catch a Greenville yoga class!