Landing at number two in my top favorite yoga poses of all-time (number one is Supine Spinal Twist) is Pigeon Pose, or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana. Pigeon Pose can be one of the most emotive poses in yoga. That’s because, with neuroscience backing, there’s a link between emotional storage and our hips. As Pigeon Pose offers a powerful way to deeply stretch our hips, yogis may find that emotions are unlocked in this powerful pose.
Like other postures in yoga, even something as simple as Tadasana (Mountain Pose), we may find ourselves being brought to the point of tears in our yoga practice in Pigeon Pose. That’s totally normal and nothing to be self-conscious about. As we move deeper into our practice, we may find the physical movements, combined with mental awareness, help us to process issues like trauma and achieve emotional release.
While I haven’t experienced emotional unlocking in Pigeon Pose (yet), I love this pose for so many different reasons. I enjoy the feeling of surrender you get while in the pose. The pose provides me with the perfect balance of relaxation and physical intention, allowing me to feel a great sense of both effort and ease that we’re trying to find in a yoga practice. Because this pose is challenging in so many ways, I always find new ways to go deeper and try something new in Pigeon Pose.
Pigeon Pose can also be difficult for yogis, for a variety of reasons. In addition to the emotional component, those with knee issues and other bodily considerations should take care when approaching this pose. A great alternative to Pigeon Pose is a Lying-Down Figure 4 stretch, which you can also practice in a bedtime yoga practice.
If your body enables you to, I encourage you to try Pigeon Pose. Use micromovements to ease yourself into the pose. With practice, you may find that, like for me, Pigeon Pose becomes one of your favorites, despite any initial difficulty.
As always, consult with your physician before beginning a yoga practice and/or attempting Pigeon Pose.
How to Practice Pigeon Pose
There are different ways you can come into Pigeon Pose. While my preferred method is through Three-Legged Dog (Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana), you can also come into Pigeon Pose by beginning on your hands and knees in a Tabletop Pose (Bharmanasana).
- Come into Three-Legged Dog or Tabletop, with your hands shoulder-width distance apart.
- Bring your right knee behind your right wrist.
- Extend your left leg long behind you.
- Square your left hip toward the ground.
- Point your left toes straight backward.
- Ease into the pose by first coming onto your fingertips. Stay here, or lower your upper body however you’d like. You can come onto forearms on the floor. You can use a block or bolster, and place your forearms or forehead on the prop. You can also make fists with your hands, layer one fist on top of the other, and rest your forehead on your fists.
- Avoid bowing your head toward your body. Rather, lengthen the neck and look straight down.
- Breathe.
- Come out of the pose by making your way back into Three-Legged Dog or Tabletop. Repeat on the other side.
One of the most common questions about Pigeon Pose is where you should be placing the foot and shin of the bent knee. While some yogis find it effortless for their shin to be parallel to the top of their mat, this isn’t easy for everyone. For me personally, the foot of my bent knee goes more toward my opposite hip. It’s all a matter of your personal range of motion.
Don’t concern yourself so much about where your foot lands or the angle of your top shin. Rather, focus on squaring off the hip of the straight leg.
Be aware of curving of the back foot. Try to point it straight, which will also help you square off your hip.
Pigeon Pose Modification
Feel free to use a bolster or blocks to support you in Pigeon Pose. In addition to placing a prop under your forearms or forehead, you can slide a prop under the hip of the bent knee. This helps the ground reach you, without you having to strain. Remember, you’re trying to find your yoga edge, without going to the point of pain.
If you have knee, hip and/or low back issues and your physician advises you not to try Pigeon Pose, you can do a Lying-Down Figure 4 stretch as an alternative hip opener. To do this, lie down on your back. Cross your right ankle over your left thigh. Weave your right arm through the window you’ve created in the middle. Interlace your hands behind the left thigh or on top of the right shin. Use your right elbow to open up the right hip more. Switch, and repeat on the other side.
Pigeon Pose Benefits
Pigeon Pose’s main benefits come from its hip-opening qualities. Hip openers are important for the body, because the hips support overall physical health. As UCLA Health points out, our hips:
- Support mobility
- Protect the back and knees
- Provide overall body support
While Pigeon Pose helps open the hip joints and thighs, the “Yoga Toolbox” states Pigeon Pose also:
- Massages the adrenal glands and kidneys
- Supports the eliminatory and reproductive systems
- Relieves tension from the lower body
I always encourage students in Pigeon Pose to “send your breath where your body needs it.” Because Pigeon Pose can be challenging, both physically and mentally, allow yourself to breathe into the pose. Give yourself grace, exactly where you need it in Pigeon Pose.
What’s your favorite yoga pose? Which pose should I do a deep dive on here in the yoga blog? Leave a comment with your thoughts!
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