Flying the Pigeon

If you put me into Pigeon Pose (Kapotanasana) I may never leave. That's how I feel, anyway, when I go into it, either in a class or in personal practice. Sometimes I don't. After 5 minutes on either side, I happily roll over onto my back for Savasana. Spending a long time in Pigeon helps to underline to me how much tension I hold in my hips; sometimes it's only in that 4th minute that something big finally releases, and I feel like I got into the pose. And isn't it completely and totally lovely when I do. Yes'm, mhm. 

 

Flying the Pigeon

To help come into a good, deep Pigeon Pose (Kapotanasana) warm up the hips quite a bit beforehand, so that when you come into the pose they can release more fully. Even if you're not used to using props in this pose, try placing a blanket at different thicknesses below the hips. It might allow you to have a different experience in this pose than you are used to.

1. Parshva Savasana (Side Corpse Pose). Repeat other side.
2. Table pose (on hands and knees)
3. Lift one knee, like a dog doing its thing on a firehydrant, and lower. Repeat 10x.
4. Repeat fire hydrant other side
5. Cat/cow spine in table
6. "Donkey kicks" in table (taking knee towards mid-line and then kicking it back behind you)
7. Repeat Donkey Kicks other leg
8. Adho Muka Svanasana(Downward Facing Dog Pose)
9. Bend and straighten knees in Adho Muka Svanasana. Pedal heels.
10. Step into high lunge
11. Adho Muka Svanasana
12. Pulse between steps 10 and 11
13. Repeat with other leg
14. High Lunge, bending and straightening knees
15. Repeat other side
16. Uttanasana (Foward Fold Pose)
17. Malasana (Garland Pose)
18. Supta Kapotanasana (Pigeon Pose). Slowly move torso like a wave (head, then chest, then stomach coming down) over leg, taking time to settle into Reclined Pigeon
19. Gomukhasana (Face of Light Pose)
20. Lolasana (Pendulum Pose)
21. Vinyasa to Kapotanasana on other leg
22. Repeat steps 18 through 20
23. Adho Mukha Svanasana
24. Raja Kapotanasana (King Pigeon Pose)
25. Vinyasa to repeat on other side
26. Parshva Savasana (Side Corpse Pose). Repeat other side.
27. Savasana