PIGEON POSE
EKA PADA RAJAKAPOTASANA
How To Perform
• Start from all fours (or Downward Dog), bring your right knee forward and place it more or less behind your right wrist with the outside of your leg on the mat.
• Place your ankle somewhere in front of your left hip.
• The more your lower leg is parallel with the front of the mat, the more intense the hip opener.
• Slide your left leg back, straighten the knee and point the toes. Make sure your leg is behind your body and not drawing outwards and your heel is pointing up to the ceiling.
• Gently pull back through the right hip to help keep your hips square. Then, mindfully lower yourself down and use some support under your right buttock if needed, to keep your hips level.
• On an inhale lift your upper body, come on your ngertips, hands shoulder-width apart, draw your navel in, tailbone down and open your chest. On an exhale walk your hands forward on the ngertips and lower your upper body to the oor. You can rest your forearms and forehead on the mat.
Stay here for 5 breaths or longer and on an exhale try to release the tension in your right hip.
Come out of the pose by pushing back through the hands and lifting the hips, move the legs back into all fours.
Benefits
• Increases external range of motion of femur in hip socket.
• Lengthens hip exors.
• Prepares body for backbends and body for seated postures such as Padmasana (Lotus pose).
• Releases pressure in the lower two chakras.
Modifications
• Place block under glute of front leg, forearms or forehead for support.
• Place bolster under torso.
• Opt for the reclined variation.
• Come into a ‘z-sit’. Sitting comfortably, bring the front knee as close to 90-degrees as your body allows. Find the amount of external rotation you’re comfortable with. If your foot inches closer to the groin, that’s ok too.
• Open the right leg to 90-degrees behind you.
Contradictions
• Knee injuries.
• Sacroiliac Issues.
