Sitting cross-legged comfortably can be harder than it looks.
According to Pilates instructor Jill Drummond, VP of Fitness at BODYBAR Pilates, this position requires coordinated mobility and stability through the hips, knees, ankles, pelvis and spine.
“When mobility is limited in any one of these areas, sitting comfortably cross-legged can quickly become challenging or even painful,” says Drummond.
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“But there are certain dynamic stretches that can help.”
She suggests the exercises below to open up your hips and improve your mobility. Practice them daily if you can, holding each stretch for 30-90 seconds.
They should help you sit cross-legged more comfortably within one to two weeks.
1. Windshield wiper
Time: 30-90sec
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart on the floor, or on an elevated surface.
- Anchor your shoulders to the floor and lower your knees toward one side.
- Bring your knees back to center before lowering your knees to the other side.
- Move dynamically from side to side as you breathe deeply.
How it helps: “Begin here to open the hips and warm the spine up, before moving on to deeper work,” Drummond says.
2. Butterfly stretch
Time: 30-90sec
- Begin seated with your knees bent and the soles of your feet together.
- Lower your knees toward the floor as far as possible.
- When you feel ready to progress, hinge forward from the waist, folding yourself forward, elongating your spine.
How it helps: This stretch lengthens the adductors (in your inner thighs), which will maximize mobility in the exercises to come.
3. Mermaid twist Z-sit
Time: 30-90sec each side
- Sit on a yoga mat and bring your legs into a Z position, with both knees bent, your left lower leg running parallel across the front of your body, and your right lower leg pointing behind you.
- Extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height.
- Bend your torso to the left, placing your left forearm on the floor if your mobility allows, and reaching your right overhead to the left.
- Rotate your torso to the right and bring your right forearm to the floor, so its parallel your left forearm.
- Rest your forehead on the floor if your mobility allows, and hold here for a moment, breathing deeply.
- Reverse the movements with control until your torso is upright.
- Continue for time, then repeat on the other side, swapping the position of your legs first.
How it helps: “The mermaid is a foundational Pilates exercise which opens the hips, lengthens the obliques and moves dynamically through a full range of motion,” Drummond says.
4. Runner’s lunge
Time: 30-90sec
- Begin in a high plank position on your hands and toes, with your body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Step your right foot forward, placing it outside of your right hand.
- Lift your chest and lower your hips to feel a stretch through the front of your left leg.
- Reverse the movements back to the start, then repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating sides, leaning deeper into the stretch each time.
How it helps: The runner’s lunge is a dynamic move that stretches the hip flexors and quads while engaging the hip joint of the front leg.
5. Happy baby
Time: 30-90sec
- Lie on your back, bend your knees and lift the soles of your feet to face up.
- Grasp the soles of your feet and gently pull your knees toward the mat. You should feel a stretch in your inner thighs, hips and knees.
- Keep your spine in contact with the mat.
How it helps: “This is a great static stretch for opening the hips, lengthening the inner thighs, and increasing mobility in the spine and knees,” Drummond says.