Why Working With the Hips Can Trigger Emotions

You've probably heard the phrase "trauma is stored in the hips." And while it sounds poetic (or maybe scary), there's deep science and somatic truth behind it.

If you've ever felt unexpectedly emotional during a hip-opening stretch or yoga class, you're not alone (i'll never forget the time I burst into tears during a swan pose in a yin class!)

Here's why that happens—and how to work with it gently and wisely.

Trauma, the Hips, and the Nervous System

When we experience a threat—whether it's a big T trauma or a buildup of smaller stressors—our body instinctively responds to protect us.

One of the key players in this response is the psoas muscle, a deep hip flexor that connects the spine to the femur.

It's activated in fight, flight, and freeze responses: think curling into a fetal position, running, or tensing up to brace against danger.

You can see in this picture how it connects to the diaphragm and the upper & lower halves of your body.

If the survival response doesn't get to complete—because we were frozen, overwhelmed, or forced to stay in an unsafe situation—the body holds onto the activation.

Muscles like the psoas and surrounding pelvic tissues stay tight, locked, and braced.

The diaphragm, our main breathing muscle, also contracts in fear or threat. This combo of tight hips and shallow breath creates a loop that tells the nervous system: "We're still not safe."

This is what we mean when we say trauma is "stored" in the hips. It isn't that the trauma itself lives in the muscle—it's that the bracing patterns and incomplete survival responses become stuck in the tissues. 

These tension patterns are a form of body memory.

They persist long after the danger has passed, continuing to signal to the nervous system through interoception (our ability to sense internal states) that we are under threat, even when we are not.

Through interoception, the brain picks up on this muscle tightness and breath restriction, and may interpret it as anxiety, unsafety, or dread—even when there's no present threat.

The vagus nerve also plays a role, carrying feedback from the body to the brain and reinforcing this loop of perceived danger.

Why Somatic Work Can Trigger Emotions

When we do somatic work to release these areas, we're not just stretching tissue—we're nudging long-held protective patterns.

Unwinding this stored activation can bring old emotions to the surface. The body finally gets a chance to "say what it couldn't say" at the time of the original overwhelm.

For some people, this is relieving. For others, it can feel like too much, too fast.

Normal Responses to Working With the Hips

If you're doing hip work and experiencing emotional or physical responses, you're not broken—you're actually tuning in. Some common reactions include:

• Sudden waves of sadness, anger, or grief

• Shaking, tears, or body heat

• Memories or sensations emerging seemingly from nowhere

• Feeling tired, spaced out, or floaty afterward

• Needing more rest or grounding after practice

These are all signs that your system is processing and integrating.

How to Tell if Hip Work is Too Activating

It's also important to know the signs that a practice is overwhelming your nervous system rather than supporting it. If your system is going into shutdown, overdrive, or dissociation, it might be time to back off.

Signs it might be too much:

• Feeling numb, frozen, or dissociated during or after

• Anxiety spikes or panic sensations

• A sense of "flooding" or emotional overwhelm

• Trouble sleeping or regulating after practice

• Feeling "off" or not quite back in your body

If that sounds familiar, know this: It doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. It means your body is wise. And it might just need a more indirect, titrated approach.

One place where this is especially true? Direct hip work.

When Hip Work Feels Too Intense

The hips hold so much—not just physically, but emotionally. They are linked to:

• Safety and survival

• Boundaries and control

• Shame and vulnerability

• Freeze and fawn responses

So it's no wonder that jumping straight into deep hip openers or pelvic work can feel overwhelming for a sensitive nervous system. Thankfully, we don’t always have to go straight to the source.

How to Release the Hips Without Directly Working on Them

There are many ways to support hip and emotional release by working with other, connected areas of the body. Here are some trauma-informed, gentle entry points:

🧶 1. Feet (Your Grounding Foundation)

The feet are your direct line to the earth—and also the base of the fascial chain that leads up to the hips and spine. Grounding through the feet can release tension upward and give your system a deep sense of safety.

Try:

• Rolling a ball under your feet ("Sole Soother")

• Slow, barefoot walking on textured surfaces

• Gentle rhythmic foot tapping

🦰 2. Jaw and Mouth (Emotional Twins of the Hips)

The jaw and pelvis are deeply linked. Tension in one often mirrors tension in the other. So softening the jaw can lead to a spontaneous softening in the hips.

Try:

• Gentle jaw massage or "Lions Breath"

• Humming or sighing with an open mouth

• Noticing clenching and inviting space with awareness

• The Jaw Release in my Soma & Soul program

🧯 3. Diaphragm and Breath

The breath is the bridge between body and mind. Since the diaphragm and psoas are connected both physically and through the nervous system, breathwork can indirectly release hip tension.

Try:

• 3-Part Belly Breathing

• Long, audible sighs ("Sigh It Out")

• Vagal breath sounds like "vooo" or "mmm"

• Any of the breath exercises in my Breathe Easy program

🙃 4. Eye Gaze & Head Movement (Orienting)

Softening the gaze and gently turning the head activates the vagus nerve and helps shift the body out of freeze states, creating space for downstream release.

Try:

• Orienting practice: looking around your space slowly

• Gentle head turns while breathing

• Peripheral vision awareness

• The vagal drills in Soma & Soul or the Somatic library

🌿 5. Intuitive Micro-Movements

Instead of forcing big releases, let your body guide the way. Micro-movements like swaying, gentle rocking, or pelvic spirals can create safety and permission for stuck patterns to unwind.

Try:

• Sitting or lying down, allowing organic movement

• Spiral movements from the spine or knees

• Soft humming while gently rocking

Want Guided Support?

There’s a full practices on Hip Release in Soma & Soul inside the Journey to Wellness Membership.

I guide you through gentle, body-wise practices to work with the hips in an emotionally safe, titrated way.

Your body is wise. If direct hip work feels too much right now, that’s not a block—it’s a boundary. And there are so many gentle pathways in.

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Want to explore more body-led emotional healing? Join us in the Journey to Wellness Membership for full access to the Release Library, somatic courses, guided meditations, and so much more.