5 Best Ways To Perform Half Pigeon Pose in 2021
Table of Contents
5 Best Ways To Perform Half Pigeon Pose in 2021
Introduction
Eka Pada Gavalasana is nothing more than a flying pigeon, perfectly balanced on a branch. That sounds easy, but this position can challenge not only your physical but also your emotional prowess. The first time I wedged my tibia in my armpits and rocked with my weight forward, I felt more like a stuffed panzerotti than a floating bird perched on a tree, ready to take flight. Nothing to do with the Instagram models who juggle in all their beauty on the social network, looking like real contortionists. This Post will share 5 Best Ways To Perform Half Pigeon Pose in 2020.
Of course, I didn’t give up. And, by softening some parts of the body, I realized that Eka Pada Gavalasana was getting a little better every day. A good part of the position is how open your hips are or not. The more you have closed oyster hips (like me), the more difficult it will be to find the right levers in the flying pigeon. Not to mention the strength on the arms, which must be extensively warmed up and stabilized.
I admit that Eka Pada Gavalasana can generate amazement and fear, especially of hitting the face on the ground. This anxiety is perfectly reasonable. We were built to avoid circumstances where we hurt ourselves, even if it’s just bruising our ego. When our nose is a few centimeters from the floor, it is difficult for it to break when hitting it. But our ego does: even a single centimetre from the ground could be enough to shatter our ego into small pieces.
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But one of the most compelling reasons for practicing balancing positions on the arms is to go beyond our perceived boundaries. Not without thoughts, but knowingly and skill-fully. And here lies the real beauty of this pose: what one gains from the practice of Eka Pada Galavasana doesn’t just achieve impressive physical fitness. By addressing your fears and progressing skill-fully despite them, you will develop a healthy understanding of your limitations and a deeper understanding of your potential.
Have you fallen? All right. It is not certain that you will fall again next time.
And when does the pose arrive? Well, do you know what happens? Nothing exactly. Nothing changes, you will not feel different, and you will hardly feel butterflies in your stomach like when you are in love. It’s just another step on this beautiful path of yoga, discovering yourself and God. So, relax, take one step at a time, and remember that in time, you can do it, Eka Pada Gavalasana, it will be yours. Enjoy the process of learning and perfecting the little things along the way, not just “attacking” the fancy pose.
How to do Eka Pada Gavalasana, Exercises
The best way to do Eka Pada Gavalasana is to unpack it and work on the parts of the body that are most involved in this pose. Remember that this is a flying pigeon, so you will have to work mainly on the pigeon and opening your hips. And, of course, about the power of the arms and core that will have to support you.
Chaturanga
Chaturanga Dandasana is a strength-building pose and excellent preparation for arm balances. So, spend some extra time refining your Chaturanga in this sequence. The key here is to distribute the weight of the pose throughout the body and harness the power of the legs. You may think Chaturanga is all about arm strength, but when you actively use your legs, the position becomes lighter. Use your heels to balance the weight by pushing them back.
To stabilize the arms you can also work on the side bench, taking care to stabilize the shoulder girdle with high tide movements.: with the palm firmly rooted to the ground, push slightly forward and outwards. You will feel the shoulder blade descend along the mid-line, and the stability of your arm will change.
Kapotasana
You will have to work the pigeon on several levels, both with the normal position and with the reverse position, with a variation of Supta Padangusthasana. This variant of Supta Padangusthasana allows you to practice the action of pulling the knee to the sternum without having to support all the body weight. It also opens up the hips, hamstrings, and hip flexors in preparation for the final pose.
Start by sitting with your knees bent and after doing some low tide movements with the right leg, place the right malleolus over the left knee. The arms pass under the right leg and with the forearms pull the tibia towards you. From this position, drop your torso to the ground, keeping the right leg pulling towards the breastbone. The right foot is active to protect the knee. The left leg is stretched to the floor. Practice on the other side too.
How to do Eka Pada Gavalasana practice
- Start from the chair position, Uktasana. Then bring the malleolus of the right leg past the left knee, trying to open the hip as far as possible to the outside. With your arms outstretched, try to keep your back straight.
- Make a few high tide movements with your arms to stabilize the shoulder girdle and begin to lean forward, bringing your hands snugly against the mat in front of you. It is already essential at this stage that your body leans forward, to bring your hands well away from your feet. If your hands are too close together, you will not be able to balance your body weight optimally, and you will end up falling. As you lean forward, remember to keep your back as straight as possible, imagine your tailbone rising upwards.
- As you lean forward your right knee locks into your right armpit, while your right foot hooks onto your left triceps. It is essential that the tibia is well attached to the arms and pushes against them. The more you can hook your right foot to your left arm, the more chances you have of keeping your balance. It is the back of the foot that engages the triceps. If you can’t wrap your triceps with your foot stop – this is the final position for you today, as it indicates your hips need more range of motion before you can move on to the next step. If this is not the case, you can continue further.
- Now bring your palms close to the mat, slowly bend your elbows, moving your chest forward, just like when you do Chaturanga (although in this case, it is more complex). Keep shifting your weight forward until your elbows reach a 90-degree closure. Now that your hands are supporting your weight lift your left foot off the ground.
- Straighten your left leg towards the back of the mat so that it is parallel to the ground. To balance yourself better, you may need to extend it a little more upwards. Listen to your body and find your perfect position. Contract the abdomen and push the navel towards the spine to support the weight of the pelvis, while the right leg still pushes forward, against the triceps. Repeat on the other side.
Asanas cannot be rushed, and sensations shouldn’t be ignored when practicing yoga, especially when sensations are intense and close to the joints. This demanding posture loads the shoulders and hips. If this causes shoulder or knee pain, it means the body needs more time and preparation. In this case, observe for a long time taking a step back and patiently repeating the preparations and the first steps of the posture.
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FAQs
Tension in the hip joint causes tension in the knee, which can result in soft tissue injury if repeated. When the lower leg crosses the torso at an acute angle, causing the knee to twist laterally, this happens. Sadly, this is how the majority of people perform Pigeon stance.
Kick your rear foot into the floor with the toes pointing down and square your hips to the front of your mat. Then relax. This form allows you to relax into the position and receive all of the benefits without having to struggle to stay balanced on your hands and lift yourself off the ground.
If you have knee discomfort, the first important thing you can do is support your hip (as I explain in the video), then try altering the angle of your knee by putting your foot closer to your groin. Bring your foot closer to the front of your mat if that doesn’t work.
Conclusion
I hope this article was helpful for you guys to understand the basics of half pigeon pose but if you really want to do it right away then you should practice regularly. And if you are confused about anything feel free to comment and we will get to you with a reasonable answer.
Remember to practice; never stop practicing. But then have the firmness to let go of the result. For today, you have done everything possible and put everything else in the hands of the Universe. All right. Tomorrow it will be better.