In practically a decade of instructing yoga, I’ve but to come across a scholar who’s lukewarm on pigeon pose. Yoga college students both love this hip opener or hate it.
Pigeon pose, or kapotasana, feels wonderful whenever you do it proper — the entrance leg externally rotates to stretch the hip, whereas the again leg affords the flexors a superb stretch — so it’s price studying tips on how to safely set it up.
“Pigeon pose just isn’t a one-position-fits-all train,” says Stephanie Saunders, vice chairman of health programming for BODi and a licensed yoga teacher.
Kapotasana is a variation on king pigeon pose (eka pada rajakapotasana), a one-legged backbend from ashtanga yoga‘s fourth sequence (which truly provides a distinct pose the title kapotasana).
With regards to pigeon pose, yoga is filled with variations, like seated pigeon, reclined pigeon, and even flying pigeon pose.
And why do we name it pigeon pose? If you’re within the upright place of kapotasana, your chest is lifted identical to a pigeon’s. Right here’s tips on how to get there safely and successfully.
Pigeon Pose (Kapotasana): Step-by-Step Directions
We’ll stroll by means of each the upright and forward-bend variations of kapotasana.
- Get on all fours, along with your fingers shoulder-width and knees hip-width aside.
- Carry your proper knee ahead, inserting it on the ground behind your proper wrist.
- Slide your proper ankle towards your left wrist, so your proper shin crosses your mat at a cushty angle.
- Prolong your left leg straight again and slowly decrease your hips to the ground. The highest of your left foot needs to be flat on the ground.
- Hold your hips stage, along with your weight evenly distributed between them (keep away from sinking into your proper hip).
- From right here, you possibly can both stay upright — holding your fingers on the ground in entrance of you, your chest up, and your core engaged — or you possibly can fold ahead, slowly strolling your fingers out in entrance of you and decreasing your chest to the ground.
- Maintain the pose for five to 10 breaths, then change sides and repeat.
- To return out of the pose, tuck your left toes below, press into your fingers, and slowly carry your proper foot again to the beginning place.
How one can Make Pigeon Pose Simpler
In case you have tight hips or encounter discomfort in your knees or decrease again, there are many modifications you are able to do to make pigeon pose simpler.
- Use a block or folded blanket below the hip of your bent leg to assist maintain the burden balanced between either side of the pelvis.
- Use blocks below your fingers when upright, or a bolster below your chest when folding ahead.
- Flex the toes of your bent leg to maintain your knee supported.
How one can Make Pigeon Pose Tougher
In case you have completely happy hips that love the stretch in pigeon pose, right here’s how one can go deeper.
- Work the entrance shin nearer to parallel with the entrance of your mat (so long as there isn’t any discomfort in your knee).
- Whereas activating your adductors (inside thighs), come onto your fingertips — or problem your steadiness by lifting your arms overhead.
- Bend your again leg, and attain for the highest of your foot for a deeper hip flexor stretch, shoulder opener, and backbend.
Newbie Suggestions for Doing Pigeon Pose
For those who’re new to pigeon pose, begin sluggish and take heed to your physique. Be sure that your entrance knee is snug. It is best to by no means really feel ache or stretching in your inside knee, hip joints or decrease again.
For those who do, come out of the pose and begin once more, specializing in externally rotating your femur within the hip socket.
Resist the urge to line up your shin with the highest of your mat. Whereas this alignment cue is taken into account “preferrred,” Saunders says, “this may put stress on the knee, particularly if there may be any restriction within the hip joint.” So select a place on your shin that retains your knee secure.
Advantages of Pigeon Pose
Pigeon pose stretches each the hip flexors on the entrance of the thigh and pelvis (together with the psoas) and your hip rotators on the again/aspect of the pelvis (together with the piriformis).
It additionally will increase vary of movement of the femur within the hip socket.
Pigeon pose helps heat up the physique for backbends or seated poses that require exterior hip rotation, like lotus pose.
It’s additionally useful for the again. “We all know that rising flexibility within the hips and pelvis can assist with sciatica and again ache,” says Saunders.
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