Should This Feel Good?
Welcome to part 2 of my love/hate relationship with Pigeon Pose.
I see people doing Pigeon all over social media and the internet. Part of me sighs from the memory of long supple quads. And another part of me thinks about less limber times and just says “ouch”.
In the last post, we talked about stretching the hip flexors. One of the benefits of Pigeon is it also gives a great stretch all the way down the front of the thigh (quadriceps). But, once again, that same stretch can also make things really compressive on the low back.
Here are some alternatives that still provide plenty of stretch in the quads, with less stress on the lumbar.
Prone thigh stretch with yoga strap
Tie one end of a yoga strap (or belt, long scarf, etc.) around your foot. Keep the other end of the strap in the right hand
Lie on your stomach, resting your head on the back of your left hand
Take a few breaths to settle in, gently pull your low abs away from the floor to help support the lumbar spine.
Bend your right knee
Imagine your right knee reaching away from you, almost like someone is gently pulling it away
Gently pull the strap with your right hand to increase the bend of the knee (and the stretch of the quad) ever-so-slightly
Hold and breathe for 4 breaths
Check in with your shoulders to make sure they’re not tense.
Release the pull of the strap
Repeat steps 5-7, 3-4x
Do the left side
Kneeling lunge, foot against wall
Unless you have knees of steel, you’ll likely want a pillow or blanket underneath your knees
Come onto hands and knees, facing away from a wall, feet at the wall
Bring your right foot forward into a lunge
Slide your left knee back – keeping it on the ground – as you bring the front of your foot up the wall
Slowly hinge your torso up to an upright position. Pause and breathe along the way when the stretch starts to feel intense
You can rest your hands on your front knee
Hold the position and breathe
Slowly slide the foot to the left, then the right to broaden the stretch
If your hamstrings start to cramp, hinge forward and back slowly
To come out of it:
Hinge forward, bringing both hands to the floor
Slide the left foot down the wall, lift knee forward
Bring the right knee back to the ground
Repeat on the other side
Try these and let us know what you think. Click here to let us know feedback.
Not every exercise is for every body.
Be kind to your body.
Wishing you happy hips!