Part XVII · Yoga poses
Pigeon Pose: A Deep Stretch for Your Outer Hip and Glutes
Front shin angled across the mat, back leg long, a blanket under the front hip if it hangs. A deep outer-hip and glute stretch that keeps the knee out of it.
The lesson
- 01
Knee toward the wrist
From hands and knees, slide your right knee forward to just behind your right wrist, and let it drift a little out to the side.
- 02
Angle the shin to suit your hip
Lay the shin down at an angle, the foot in front of your left hip if your hip allows, closer in toward you if not. A shin parallel to the front of the mat is not the goal.
- 03
Point the front foot, toes back
Point the front foot gently and draw the toes back, then press its little-toe edge into the mat so the ankle stays in line with the shin. On an angled shin, a hard-flexed foot lets the shin twist and takes the knee with it.
- 04
Back leg long, prop the hip
Slide your left leg straight back, top of the foot down, kneecap facing the floor. If your right hip hangs in the air, slide a folded blanket or block under it, so your weight rests on the support and not on your knee.
- 05
Hips level, not forced
Bring both hip bones roughly level and facing forward, as far as they go without wrenching. A little open at the hips is fine.
- 06
Upright or folded
Stay up on your hands with your chest tall, or walk your hands forward and lower onto your forearms, or all the way to your forehead. Breathe out slowly and let the hip settle a little more each time.
- 07
The test
A deep stretch in the outer hip and glute of the front leg is the pose working. If anything is sharp in the front knee, come up onto your hands, walk the foot closer and prop the hip higher. Come back to hands and knees, then do the other side.
Watch for
- A hip hanging in the air with nothing under it. Your weight sinks into the front knee, and the hip gets less of the stretch.
- Forcing the shin parallel to the front of the mat. The front knee twists and the stretch leaves your hip.
- Letting the back leg turn out. The back hip lifts, the kneecap rolls to the side, and the stretch slides out of the front hip you came for.
- Going deeper than you can breathe. You hold your breath, the hip clenches against the stretch and the minute does less.
Why does Pigeon Pose hurt my knee? Usually your hip cannot turn out as far as the shape asks, so the knee twists to make up the difference. Walk the front foot closer, prop the hip higher with a blanket or block, and keep the foot pointed with the toes drawn back. If it still hurts, stay upright on your hands or come out: the stretch belongs in the hip, not the knee.
How long should you hold Pigeon Pose? A minute each side, right then left, in the Post-Strength Yoga · 02 routine that follows a kettlebell routine. That is long enough for the hip to settle over several slow breaths out, and if your breathing starts to strain, ease off. There is no daily target: hold it when your training day has that routine.
Why is Pigeon Pose so hard? It asks the front hip to bend and turn out further than most hips go in an ordinary day, while the back leg stretches long, and it asks you to relax while it happens. Most people tense against it and hold their breath. Prop the hip, angle the shin closer in and breathe out slowly, and the range grows as you keep practising.
What muscles does Pigeon Pose stretch? The glute of the front leg and the small, deep muscles that turn that thigh out, piriformis among them. The back leg gets a milder stretch across the front of the hip.
Next
Happy Baby→It comes straight after Pigeon. On your back, knees drawn wide toward your armpits, the same hips bend and turn out with no weight on your knees.
From the book
22Range lets you rest on your line→