Your hip or the back of your thigh has started aching, and poses like pigeon, forward folds or splits now feel uncomfortable. Yoga and Pilates often focus on stretching the hips and hamstrings, but when these areas are sore, more stretching is not always the answer. Balancing stretch with strength can help you keep practising comfortably.

Why deep stretches can bother a sore hip or hamstring

Deep hip bends, like pigeon and deep lunges, can squeeze the front of the hip. Forward folds and splits stretch the hamstrings a long way, pulling on the tendon where it attaches near your sitting bone. Wide-legged poses can pull on the inner thigh.

For pain near the sitting bone, deep stretching can press the tendon against the bone and keep it irritated. Many people find their pain eases when they stretch less and strengthen more.

In most cases, the area is irritated rather than damaged.

Poses to adapt for now

Some ideas:

• Pigeon. Swap for a figure-four stretch lying on your back, which you can control more easily.
• Forward folds. Bend your knees generously, or use blocks under your hands.
• Splits and hanumanasana. Leave these out for now, or stay well short of your usual range.
• Deep lunges. Shorten your stance, and keep your back knee on a cushion.
• Seated forward bends. Sit on a block with your knees bent.
• Wide-legged poses. Bring your feet closer together.

Poses that often feel comfortable

Much of your practice can carry on:

• Standing poses with a shorter stance, like warrior and chair pose.
• Upper body and core work.
• Gentle hip circles and cat-cow.
• Breathing and relaxation work.

Adding hip and hamstring strength

Strength tends to help hip and hamstring pain more than stretching alone. Some options within your practice:

• Bridges, progressing to single-leg bridges.
• Bridge holds with your feet further away, to work your hamstrings.
• Pilates side-lying leg work, like clams and leg lifts.
• Standing balances, like tree pose and warrior three with a short range.
• Chair pose, holding at a comfortable depth.

If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of bridges, sit to stands and lunges you can use at your own pace.

Sitting and everyday habits

If pain is near your sitting bone, sitting on hard chairs or with your legs crossed can make it worse. Sitting on a cushion and getting up every 30 minutes or so can help. If the side of your hip is sore, avoiding crossing your legs and sleeping with a pillow between your knees can ease pressure.

Long holds and home practice

Yin and restorative classes often hold deep hip and hamstring stretches for several minutes, which can keep a sore area irritated. Using more props and staying further from your end range can help. If you practise at home with online classes, pausing to set up blocks and skipping any pose that bothers you is fine.

Talking to your teacher

If you go to a class, letting your teacher know your hip or hamstring is sore means they can suggest alternatives as you go. Choosing classes with more strength work, like mat Pilates or slower yoga, can help for now.

Reading how you respond

A mild ache during or after practice that settles within an hour or so is usually fine. If your hip or hamstring is sorer the next morning, use more of the swaps next time.

When to get it checked

You should get it checked by a GP or physiotherapist if you felt a sudden sharp pain or a pop at the back of your thigh during a stretch, especially if bruising appears afterwards. You should also get it checked if your hip locks or catches, or if pain spreads down your leg with numbness or tingling.

Building back up

As things settle, you can gradually bring back deeper hip bends and forward folds, one at a time. If your pain has been around for a while, especially near the sitting bone, this usually happens over months rather than weeks. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to keep track of how you respond.

What to take away

• Deep stretching can keep a sore hip or hamstring irritated.
• Bend your knees in forward folds and leave out splits for now.
• Swap pigeon for a lying figure-four stretch.
• Add bridges, side-lying leg work and standing balances.
• Get a sudden pull with bruising checked.

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