Skip to main content

​
Technique

  1. From Downward dog, bring the knee toward the same side wrist and settle the hips toward the floor with the outside edge of the shin on the floor.
  2. Aim for a 45 degree angle in the knee, keeping the foot close to the opposite hip.
  3. Extend your back foot.
  4. Support some of your weight on your arms.
  5. Try to square the hips and shoulders towards the front of the mat.

​
Form tips

  • This creates a Hip external rotation in the front leg and a Hip extension in the back leg. Try to feel both.
  • Avoid leaning to one side and instead support the position with the arms and allow the hips to drop over time.
  • You should not feel any pain in the knee. If you do, back out of the posture and try again by bending your front knee a little more (smaller angle), using props as needed (see Block-support pigeon).
Logging: Work each side for the time indicated.

​
Muscles

Flexibility

Primary

  • Glutes

Secondary

  • Pelvis
  • Hamstrings
  • Quadriceps
  • Hip adductors

​
Equipment

Ground (hands or body)
Ground (hands or body)

​
Appears in

Flexibility
Other disciplines
Joint movements
Hipextensionexternal rotation
trains stretches

​
Progressions

e0c1

Pigeon pose

Intermediate
e0q5

Pigeon squat

Novice
e10f

Pigeon good morning

Intermediate

​
Regressions

e0vk

Supported half lotus

Beginner
e0w8

Block-support pigeon

Novice
e0vl

Sitting half lotus fold

Novice
e0vv

Elbow sitting half lotus revolved spinal twist

Novice
e0xl

Half lotus

Novice
e173

Lying butterfly stretch

Novice
e0v2

Revolved side angle prayer hands

Novice
Want to log this exercise? Open it in Calistree. Text and images are used under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0; the video plays from the original source.