Pigeon Pose
Pigeon Pose
Effortless, elegant running – almost like flying
This exercise is brought to you by Spiraldynamik.
Some people seem to practically crouch while walking or running – even during the extension phase, the knee and hip joints remain slightly bent. However, full extension of the leg and upper body is essential for an elegant and effective running technique. The Pigeon Pose is the perfect antidote to a poor running and walking posture such as running with a hunched back and upper body bent forwards, lack of pelvis and hip rotation, lack of rotational flexibility in the hip joints, knock knees and buckling feet.
Begin by kneeling on all fours and transfer your weight to your left knee. Slide your right knee forwards at a slight diagonal angle, keeping it bent, and place your knee between both hands, slightly more towards the right-hand side. Extend your left knee out behind you to feel a stretch in the left side of your groin as you lower it. Gently rock your pelvis back and forth to relieve any excess tension in the larger superficial muscles. Keep both sides of your pelvis as straight as possible. Gently tilt the right side backwards and left side forwards. Both sit bones should be pressing towards the ground. Inhale and stretch up through your spine as you do so, elongating your inner axis. Extend your neck. Keep your gaze looking forwards. Both shoulders should be nice and wide apart, roll your shoulder blades down towards your pelvis and keep your sternum lifted and facing forwards.
Note no. 1 – In the event of early onset or advanced hip arthrosis you should carefully gauge your range of motion and never overstretch the joint.
Objective:
As well as good stamina and mental balance, effortless running also physically requires a straight, rotatable spine and three-dimensional movement of the pelvis. The Pigeon Pose covers all of these aspects in one pose: the upper body is arched backwards and turned towards the bent leg, the pelvis is rotated inwards, one leg is bent in front of you and the other is outstretched behind you.
The position of the front leg stretches the outer hip joint muscles and is therefore ideal for maintaining hip flexibility – it also places a lot of stress on the joint, however. You should therefore only stretch as far as feels comfortable and right for your body. It doesn’t need to be perfect.
Alternative – While sitting on the floor, you can practice an effective variation of this exercise. Place your left leg out in front of you and cross the right leg over it, keeping the latter bent. As you inhale, lift your upper body from within, elongating the spine and keeping it straight as you do so. On the exhale, gently turn your upper body to the right, starting from the lower back. Wrap your left arm around your right leg. Elongate your spine with each inhale, and rotate the upper body slightly further to the right with each exhale.
Our book recommendation:
Medical Yoga – TRIAS Verlag
Dr. med. Christian Larsen, Christiane Wolff, Eva Hager-Forstenlechner
https://shop.thieme.de/Medical-Yoga/9783432107677