Movement at the Pelvis versus the hip joints….do you know the difference?

Honestly, I did NOT know the difference between my pelvis and hip joints until about 4 years AFTER I was already teaching yoga! That’s right, not all teacher trainings even offer anatomy as part of the training, even though it is CRITICAL to understanding the human body and movement patterns. I remember getting a taste of anatomy during my certification course to be a personal trainer. But, when I took Lara Heimann’s LYT 200 teacher trainer course, we went on an anatomy deep dive!

What I found is that MOST people move at the pelvis and hip during yoga and think they are one in the same. However, they are not, one is a fixed structure and the other is mobile. The pelvis is a fixed “bowl” almost attaching at your spine and then curving around to attach to your hip joints. The hip joints are where the femur meets the acetabulum, this is your ball and socket joint and why the hip is mobile (meaning it can move all around).

A common misconception is that when you are told to open your hip in 3 leg down dog in class you should turn the whole pelvis and rotate the hip. It is fine to do that, although “truly opening the hip” happens when you circle around that ball and socket joint. When you start to turn the pelvis you likely let go of the lower abdominals and probably lean into your postures imbalances to “go deeper.” Going deeper is not the goal, moving safely is! Check out my free flow Friday to see the differences between moving at the pelvis (think Elvis pelvis) and the hip (like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant). Below are some skeletal pictures to educate you, so you can see the difference and know what is what in your body.

In Joy - Julie