Pigeon Pose

How to do Pigeon Pose

1. 1Begin in Downward-Facing Dog, sweep your right leg forward, and place your right knee down behind your right wrist.
2. 2Angle your right shin slightly toward your left wrist, keeping your right foot gently active to protect your knee.
3. 3Extend your left leg straight back behind you, untucking the toes and pressing the top of your foot into the mat.
4. 4Square your hips toward the top edge of your mat and walk your hands back alongside your hips to lift your torso upright.
5. 5Draw your lower belly gently in and up to support your lumbar spine as you broaden across your collarbones.
6. 6Roll your shoulders back and down, lifting through the center of your chest as you enter the backbend.
7. 7If comfortable, bend your left knee, reach back with your left hand to grasp the foot, and draw it gently inward without twisting the lower back.
8. 8Hold for five to eight steady breaths, carefully release the foot, and press back into Downward-Facing Dog before repeating on the left side.

Benefits

• Stretches the deep hip flexors and psoas of the back leg.
• Releases tension across the outer hip and gluteal muscles of the front leg.
• Expands the anterior chest, shoulders, and ribcage to support full breathing.
• Strengthens the spinal musculature and improves overall posture awareness.
• Stimulates abdominal organs and promotes circulation throughout the pelvis.

Common mistakes and cues

• Rolling onto the front hip

  Keep your pelvis level and squared to the front rather than collapsing your weight onto the outer hip.

• Sickling the front foot

  Maintain active engagement in the front ankle to keep the knee joint properly aligned and supported.

• Compressing the lower back

  Engage your abdominal wall to lengthen the spine upward before arching into the backbend.

• Forcing the back-foot bind

  Avoid wrenching your shoulder or lower back to catch the foot if your hip flexors are not yet open enough.

Modifications and props

• Block under front hip

  Slide a yoga block or folded blanket beneath the front sitting bone to keep the pelvis level and stable.

• Hands on blocks

  Place blocks beneath your hands alongside your hips to support an upright torso without straining the spine.

• Strap for foot bind

  Loop a strap around your back foot to bridge the distance if your hand cannot easily reach the foot.

• Upright variation

  Keep both hands grounded on the floor or blocks in front of you and skip bending the back leg entirely.

Cautions

• Knee sensitivity or injury

  Avoid this shape or practice a reclined figure-four if you feel any twisting, pinching, or pain in either knee.

• Sacroiliac joint pain

  Do not aggressively force your hips square if it creates pulling or discomfort across your sacrum or lower back.

• Acute shoulder impingement

  Refrain from reaching overhead for the full bind if you experience shoulder pinching or instability.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

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