Trouble sitting cross-legged (or Indian style)

Hi Ken

If you look around the forum – especially where hip stretching exercises are sought, I have often recommended yin yoga stretches. These are long duration poses best done after your hot yoga or Bikram class when you are good and warmed right through and your muscles more likely to yield to the stretch.

There are some great stretches you can do like half pigeon, thread the needle, square, frog and dragonfly. Just hold them for a few minutes. Start at about 1 min and work you way up from there. There are plenty of online resources.

Have fun and ‘chill’ in the hot room after class. 😉 10 minutes each time will see some great changes.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello,
I have been practicing Bikram yoga for over 2 years now and still have tight hips. Based on Gabrielle’s great suggestion I tried the hip stretching poses. It helps! Here’s my sequence. After doing an hour practice and 2 min. of savasana, I do thread the needle pose on both sides, lay down in savasana, do another 2 sides of thread the needle, lay in savasana, Do a modified Pigeon on both sides, savasana, another set of modified Pidgeon, savasana, sit up, Bound Angle pose, a modified staff pose to release the inner thigh muscle (ie. legs out straight in front of body on floor, but with relaxed feet & legs), Square pose with one foot on top, modified staff pose, square pose with opposite foot on top, final savasana. I modify based on the amount of stiffness and pain. I found all poses at yogajournal website.
Thanks again Gabrielle for the great suggestions! Helen