Yoga and Flexibility: the best asanas to stretch your glutes

Susan A. Posted On 2019-06-26

Are you wondering why we are talking about stretching the glutes? As we always mention, yoga is all about finding balance in your own body and working towards improving your well-being. Nowadays, with the fitness boom, having strong glutes is all everyone talks about, but keeping it stretched is extremely important. Let’s find out more about asanas to stretch your glutes.

We have three types of glutes, the great, medium and small, which occupies the most posterior region of the basin. Focusing on the great glute, it’s a single muscle being divided into two intersections: on the outside of the proximal femur, and the iliotibial ring, in the form of a strap, on the outside of the hip.

To understand more why these muscles are so important, let’s learn more about the glutes.

Why is so important to learn asanas to stretch your glutes?

Well, whether you have already thought about it or not, glutes have critical missions on our lives. Let’s focus on the bigger one. This muscle allows:

Abduction of the thigh;
Through contraction: extension and external rotation of the femur;
Its fibres attached to the iliotibial ring assist in the stabilization and extension of the knee;
Work, unconsciously, during walking and standing.

Its antagonists are the iliopsoas, the femoral rectum, and the pectineus.

The great gluteus is awakened and worked on many of the most important and known asanas of yoga practice, such as Virabhadrasana II, Purvottanasana or even Ustrasana, in which it works for the extension of the trunk.

The great gluteus, when not flexible and very rigid, limits the forward flexions that surround the basin, and the extensions. It is in the forward bends, as in Uttanasana, that this muscle is elongated. However, several other postures work in this direction, and that can be included in practice, especially for those who suffer from stiffness in these muscles.

Most of the literature on the subject, focus mainly on strengthening it, that’s why it is so important to start talking about asanas to stretch the glutes. It requires not only studying but also experimenting and practicing. Keep reading and find out which are the asanas to stretch your glutes.

asanas to stretch your glutes

Asanas to stretch your glutes

Uttanasana
Janurdhva Sirsasana
Parivrtta Asta Chandrasana
Parivrtta Trikonasana
Amruchyasana C/Ardha Matsyendrasana
Sukhasana (flexing forward)
Agnistambhasana (bending forward)
Legs of Gomukasana (bending forward)
Paschimottanasana
Ardha Malasana
Ardha Ekapada rajakapotasana
Supta padangusthasana (with bend leg)
Suchirandhrasana
Ananda balasana
Jathara parvartansana
Halasana

Let’s check a few more considerations

The yoga asanas that allow a more concentrated work of stretching the great glute are: Suchirandhrasana, Supta Padangusthasana C, Sukhasana with forward bend, Ardha Ekapada Rajakapotanas and Ananda Balasan.

The diversity of asanas that allow the stretching of the glutes is so significant, that it’s definitely possible to always include a few asanas on each sequence, as well as it’s possible to build courses that have this goal in specific.

Even Surya Namaskar allows to perform asanas to stretch your glutes, so if you feel that need, you can always play these asanas by focusing on this area of your body. Remember, many poses can be done focusing on different intentions.

Having right flexible glutes will allow you to get way more comfortable when doing yoga, but also when doing other exercises and of course, on your daily life, so keep an eye on it and add some asanas to stretch your glutes on your practices.

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Author

Susan A.

Yoga teacher and marketeer, addicted to writing and travelling. Lover of the ocean, she believes life is better with kind people, salty skin and shining eyes.