Pigeon pose in yoga for people who sit a lot

You can try poses that require more flexibility like the pigeon pose in yoga when you get used to this subject. This is a pose that can help you expand your hips very well to reduce fatigue after a day of sitting a lot.

Dove pose in yoga (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) is a pose that helps you open your hips. This is a yoga pose for the intermediate practitioner, with a bend that is a bit difficult for some people to do. So, you may need some time to get used to this pose comfortably.

Benefits of pigeon pose

The pigeon pose in yoga has the main effect of helping you open up the hips, stretch the muscles in the thighs, groin, back, pear muscles and lumbar muscles. Stretching your legs back helps you to stretch your pear muscles and your pelvic floor muscles. For the front leg flexion, the rotator cuff and lateral hip muscles are stretched.

So, this is a suitable yoga pose for those who have to sit too much and want to relax their hips. This yoga pose also prepares you for other sitting and back bends.

How to practice pigeon pose

There are a few different ways to approach the pigeon pose in yoga. One of the simplest ways is to get into pigeon pose from downward facing dog, a basic yoga pose. Downward facing dog is a position where you support yourself with your arms and legs and your hips are raised to form an inverted V. Once in this pose, follow these steps:

• While in Downward Dog, bring your right leg up into a one-legged downward facing dog. If you’d like, you can also start in a standing position with your hands and knees and then work through the steps as you normally would.
• Bend your right knee and bring your right leg forward as you would a lunge or lunge exercise.
• Instead of putting your feet down like you would in a lunge, place your right knee on the floor near your right hand. The right shin can point towards the left hip or parallel to the front edge of the mat.
• Drop your left knee onto the mat so that your left foot is flat on the mat. Look behind you to check that your left foot is straight.
• Align the hips perpendicular to the front edge of the mat.
• You can fold a blanket underneath your buttocks to make the pose more comfortable.

If you are new to this pose, you can stop here. And if you feel you can continue, practice these steps:

• Bend forward so that your upper body rests on your right leg.
• Shift your weight onto your right leg and lower your forehead to the mat.
• You try to align your hips perpendicular to the floor.
• Straighten upper body. Place your hands face down on the mat and at hip level.
• To end the pose, bend your left leg and take a step back to return to downward facing dog.
• Do the same with the other side.

You can adjust the pigeon pose to best suit your abilities by stretching the muscles more or less as you practice. When doing this exercise, the knee will not be affected and you will not feel pain. If you feel uncomfortable, you may have been practicing the wrong posture.

Notes when practicing pigeon pose

For the pigeon pose, you can apply some changes or practice some variations depending on your strength. Those who are just starting out or have been practicing yoga for a long time can adjust the pigeon pose in their own way.

Pigeon Pose for Beginners

To make the pigeon pose more comfortable and effective for beginners, you can keep a few things in mind after practicing:

• Check your hips to see if they are touching the floor. If you feel your hips don’t touch the floor, add extra towels under your buttocks for extra comfort.
• Pay attention to evenly distribute your body weight between your hips and try to keep your hips perpendicular to the ground, not letting your hips drift to the side. If you practice the wrong posture, you will inadvertently put pressure on your knees and sacrum.
• If you find it difficult to bend forward, roll a towel under your forearm or under your forehead so you don’t have to bend too much.

Pigeon pose for those who want to elevate

If you’re flexible enough, align your right shin more parallel to the front edge of the mat. Then you can also practice the following steps:

• Bend left knee to lift left leg and bring left hand behind to reach left leg.
• Stretch your left leg downwards.
• Adjust the shoulders perpendicular to the room wall.
• Release your arms, bring your left leg back, and take a step back to come face-down dog pose.

If you feel that the pigeon pose in yoga is not suitable, you can replace it with the needle pose (Succirandrasana). In addition, you also need to avoid pigeon pose if there are any knee injuries or hip problems to be on the safe side.

Common mistakes when practicing

Here are some mistakes you need to avoid to get the most out of the pigeon pose:

• Rotate the extended leg back: When extending one leg back, you should keep the foot in a balanced position in the middle, not rotate the leg outward. If you want to correct this, tip toes and lift your thighs to straighten your hips.
• Hips are not straight: When practicing pigeon pose, you should not let your hips drift to one side, but keep your hips straight and perpendicular to the floor when practicing.

The pigeon pose in yoga will help you reduce fatigue when you have to sit too much at the desk all day. However, you need to understand how to practice this yoga pose so as not to affect the joints in the body and protect better health. To be on the safe side, avoid dove pose if you have knee or back problems.