by Youngbear Roth

Created on: September 09, 2010   Last Updated: December 24, 2010

Remember, Yoga is extremely adaptable. You may have tried Pigeon Pose after seeing a photograph of the pose in a book or magazine and become discouraged. I find the pose to be artistic and graceful. Let's look at some gentle Pigeon Pose variations that may allow you to practice your own Pigeon Pose.

Cautions:

Pigeon Pose is tough on the patella, tendons, quadriceps, and the groin adductors. Take time and patience to slowly develop your Pigeon Pose over a series of sessions. Never use force, and stay out of your pain zone. Do not place this pose early in your routine – you want to be well-stretched and relaxed for this one.

"Damaged knees rarely come back one hundred percent. If you have any issues in the knee area, see your physician before trying this asana."

Modification one:

1)Kneel upright on the mat with your hands at your sides.

2)Choose either leg and perform the following actions simultaneously: keep the chosen leg bent at the knee, but turn it sideways so that you are looking at your inside groin adductors; at the same time, begin to lower your hands onto the mat on each side of your pelvis; at the same time stretch your other leg straight out behind you and take the weight of coming down on the mat into the support of your hands.

3)Make the above moves thoughtfully and slowly.  You may have to experiment to understand how your body structure can best assimilate this asana. Many practitioners find that they cannot center their weight and must allow the chosen bent leg to be the side of the body that takes the load.

When you have come this far, your chosen leg should be bent so that your foot is near the groin area. Stop her for a moment and feel your body. Get a sense of your weight distribution. If everything feels okay…

4)Move your hands forward on the mat and begin to lean in and over your adductor muscles. Easy does it. Your arms will come forward, and as your lean becomes lower your arms will be stretched out in front of you on the mat on both sides of your chosen leg. Your long-term goal is to have your forehead at rest on the mat in front of your knee. This is one way of doing Pigeon pose. Hold it for a count of ten natural, easy breaths. And use your hands to walk yourself back out of the pose. Rest. Repeat on the other side.

Modification two: Deepening the pose-

1)Come up on the knee of the chosen leg so that you are now looking down at your quadriceps. Your other leg is still straight behind you.

2)Bend the

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