One Legged Pigeon
Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) is one of my favorite poses. It is this pose that helped to heal an injury to my hip socket and saved me from needing surgery and drew me towards Yoga Therapy. You can read more about that here.
Without even realizing it, we naturally respond to stress or trauma by tightening the hips. Pigeon Pose is a hip opener. Initially, it does not offer the most comfortable experience for most. It can be quite a challenge and is best when held from 10 breaths up to 5 minutes on each side. With time, the hips become more flexible extending greater ease with everyday activity. Open hips also contributes to optimal alignment and better posture.
The hips also tend to store emotional energy. Opening the hips can be therapeutic when an emotional release is needed. So don’t be surprised if you have some kind of emotional response. You may actually laugh or cry as you feel this release.
While holding the pose, direct collected energy from the pelvis up to the center of the chest, into the heart chakra. Let the emotions be transformed here with compassion and love radiating from the heart center. Then, once negative energy is transformed with love, let it flow back to the pelvis, to soften and heal. Surrender into the pose. Once you feel complete here, move to the other side.
Pigeon Pose
When tension is released in one area, it may pop up somewhere else in the body, often the forehead, jaw or shoulders. So, as you breathe through the penetrating sensations in the hips, survey the body for tensing and intentionally breathe into those areas to let it go.
Eye of the Needle
A great way to prepare for Pigeon Pose is Eye of the Needle Pose (Sucirandhrasana), also called Reclined Pigeon Pose. This pose is a gentler hip opener that is practiced with ease in a reclined position. Details (including benefits and contraindications) and directions for pigeon pose and other hip openers here.
