Should This Feel Good?
Welcome to more pigeon talk. If you’re a Pigeon-Pose-lover, feel free to skip this. But if this exercise never quite feels as good as you think it should, keep reading, my friend.
Pigeon has lots of great benefits for hip health. But if it’s not right for your body, it can make you feel pretty awful. Case in point:
It opens the side hip and stretches the deeper glutes (gluteus medius and minimus) and piriformis.
The flip side? Knee issues.
If the shin isn’t parallel to the front of the mat and too far into the body, it can create too much pressure on the knee. Plus, it can throw the hip out of alignment and overstretch or tear structures in the hip joint.
All painful and unnecessary.
If you have knee issues or already have a labral tear or other hip concerns, try these alternatives:
Figure 4 stretch
Lie on your back
Bend your right knee and place your right foot on the floor
Cross your left ankle over your right knee
Grab behind your right thigh and pull it towards you (if you can’t do this without having to stress the neck and shoulders or lift them off the floor, you can use a belt or towel behind the thigh)
Use your left elbow to gently push your left knee away from you
Flex your left foot
Take 4-5 breaths
Rock your hips slightly to the right side. You may feel a stretch in a different place on the left hip or glutes. Play around with it
Take 4-5 breaths
Switch sides
Happy Baby
Lie on your back
Bend your knees in toward your chest
Bring your feet closer together and your knees further apart (preferably past the outer edges of your torso)
Grab your legs with your hands – you can grab your knees, shins, outer edges of feet
Try to allow the tops of your thighs to relax into the hip joint
Rock slowly and gently from side to side
Take 8-10 breaths
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!