Hips. We usually only think about our hips when it comes to how big (or small) they are. Or, how they look in that figure-fitting pair of jeans. But hips have a lot to do with your physical health. And it might come as a surprise that hip-opening postures can help relieve chronic back and knee pain. Keep reading to learn one easy pose that can bring you sweet, sweet relief. 

The first question you might asking yourself is why you need to open your hips in the first place.

The truth is, hips are essential for moving around. And while that might seem incredibly obvious, we often forget about the central role hips play in health and wellbeing.

Tight, weak hips can lead to limited movement. This in turn can lead to back and knee pain, as well as chronic injury.

And all the sitting we do doesn’t help much either. Yoga instructor, Chloe Kernaghan, offers a deep hip stretching pose that can help to release hips. It’s called Cow Face Pose, and this is how you can tap into its benefits.

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Sit on your buttocks, and cross one leg in front of you. Then, with your other leg, cross it above your other leg. If this is painful, you can either sit on a block. Or, you can bring your feet to the side.

Then, in this Cow Face Pose, you can begin to circle your upper body to help loosen the hips. If it’s accessible to you, you can walk your arms forward and drop your chest and head to the ground.