Pigeon

Front shin across the mat, back leg long. The classic outer-hip and glute opener for runners.

· 2 min read

yoga · hip · glute · piriformis · kneeling

The lesson

  1. 1

    Knee toward the wrist

    From hands and knees, slide one knee forward toward the same-side wrist.

  2. 2

    Angle the shin across

    Your front foot travels toward the opposite hip if your hips allow it, and stays closer in if they don't.

  3. 3

    Flex the front foot

    Pull your toes back toward your shin and keep them there. This is what protects the front knee, and it's the single most important thing in the pose.

  4. 4

    Back leg long, hips square

    Stretch the other leg straight behind you, top of the foot down, and turn both hips toward the front of the mat.

  5. 5

    Prop the front hip

    If that hip hangs in the air, slide a folded blanket or block underneath it. Unsupported is where the knee gets asked to do the hip's job.

  6. 6

    The test

    Deep ache in the glute is the pose working. Anything sharp in the front knee means walk that foot closer to your hip. Stay upright on your hands, or fold down onto forearms and forehead.

Pigeon

How to do it

Start on hands and knees. Slide the right knee forward toward the right wrist, then angle the right shin across the mat — the right foot moves toward the left hip if the hips allow, otherwise closer to the right hip. Extend the left leg long straight behind you, with the top of the left foot resting on the floor. Square the hips toward the front of the mat as much as possible. Stay upright with the hands on the floor in front of the right shin, or fold forward over the front leg with the forearms or forehead resting on the floor. Hold, then switch sides.

Why it's good for runners

This is the pose runners default to when their hips hurt, and for good reason: the front-leg position puts the glute, piriformis, and deep external rotators on a deep stretch that little else reaches. These are the tissues that get cranky in the late miles of long runs and after racing on a course with turns or hills. Pigeon is the most efficient direct release for them.

Common mistakes

Don't let the back-leg hip rotate up off the floor — keep the hips as square as possible, even if it means a less-extreme front shin angle. If the front-leg hip lifts way off the floor, fold a blanket or block under it for support. And don't push past sharp knee pain in the front leg — if the front knee complains, walk the front foot closer to the front hip.

Related

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Warrior II

Wide stance, front knee bent over the ankle, hips and chest facing the long edge of the mat, arms reaching front and back.

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Legs Up the Wall

Sit up against a wall, swing the legs up it, and stay. Three shapes in one position — straight, wide, soles together — and you never come down between them.

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Low Lunge

A low lunge you stop holding up. The deepest the front of the hip goes in this method, and the direct answer to hours spent bent at it.

Back to Yoga poses