Tight hips? It may be more than prolonged sitting that causes your discomfort. If you’re a trauma survivor, there may be even more layers to your tension.
Your body isn’t made of separate parts, but is interconnected. I welcome you to join me as we explore the hidden emotions that cause hip tension and what you can do to find relief.
Understanding Hip Tension
Your hips are part of your sacral chakra region, the most powerful emotional center in your body. You’re likely to experience the most tension in your hips and psoas, and you’ll experience the most powerful releases when working on your hips.
There are several signs that you have tight hips. Before reading, I invite you to check in with your medical team to rule out any physical conditions that may need more attention.
Signs you have tight hips:
- When you sit cross-legged, your knees are elevated further off the ground than usual. They may feel tight if you press your knees toward the floor (please do this gently). This will look different for each person based on your bone structure, so it’s important to base this off of your own body.
- Pain in your lower back, knees, hamstrings, and/or hips
- Lifestyle: You sit for most of the day with little physical activity
- Poor posture
- You find most hip stretches and yoga poses a challenge (pigeon, butterfly, lunges). No pose should feel painful. I welcome you to add props or explore adaptations of poses so you find the best version of the pose that works for you.
- You experience high levels of stress
- Unresolved trauma
- Your tension feels worse after strengthening poses or exercises like squats
Your psoas muscles also play a huge role in the mobility of your hips. When you experience fight or flight, your psoas contracts to prepare your body for action. If you experience constant stress and no release, your psoas remain tight and this leads to issues like hip tension.
I invite you to read more about your psoas muscles and how to find tension release in this blog post.
Emotions Commonly Stored In Hips
Now that we understand your hip tension and how it manifests in your body, let’s explore the emotions that cause hip tension. Because this is a powerful emotional center, you may experience a range of emotions.
Your sacral chakra (located in your hip region) is your creativity, emotional, and sensuality center. This blog post explores how it’s affected after sexual trauma, and how to find balance if you enjoy chakra work.
Six common emotions that cause hip tension:
- Fear
- Stress and Anxiety
- Unresolved trauma
- Anger
- Sadness and grief
- Shame/Guilt
What Happens When You Find Balance?
One way to tell if you’ve resolved this area is through the emotions associated with balance.
Here are a few ways to tell your sacral chakra is balanced:
- Friendliness
- Sense of closeness with others
- Sensuality
- Healthy attachments
- Able to feel satisfied
You may also discover that when you find balance, you release stored trauma. I invite you to read this blog post to know if you’ve experienced a trauma release.
How To Release Emotions That Cause Hip Tension
A mind-body approach is how you can address both the physical and emotional aspects of your hip tension. If you only do hip stretches but ignore your emotions, you may only find temporary relief from your symptoms, only to have them return.
I welcome you to work on your emotions when you feel ready, and there are many support options available to create a care plan that works best for you.
An accessible mind-body approach that releases stored tension and calms your nervous system is through yoga. Gentle stretches combined with mindfulness practices give you the time and space to release trauma on your terms and pace.
A few yoga poses to explore hip tension release are:
- Pigeon pose
- Hip circles
- Butterfly pose
I welcome you to explore more poses and in-depth guidance for releasing trauma from your hips in this blog post.
Overview
Your emotions and body are connected, but you can find gentle release when you explore the right strategies that speak to you. Thank you for joining me, and I hope to spend time with you again soon!
