I firmly believe in the importance of stretching every day. I figure if I expect my body to carry me through the day, I can at least give it 5-10 minutes of love so it can do its job well.
Mostly, I stretch for the same reasons most people do- to avoid being sore later. I’ve gone on plenty of distance runs, been in a rush when I was done, and skipped my stretches.
And every time I do it, I’m totally sore the next day.
But I find stretching provides even more than just ensuring I don’t have stiff muscles.
It’s Pigeon pose.
Most people have strong feelings about Pigeon. It seems like they either love it or hate it. I use to be in the hate camp, but now I’m totally in love.
For those who aren’t familiar with Pigeon, I’ll leave the breakdown for getting into the pose to the experts at Yoga Basics as I am most definitely a yoga student, not a teacher.
To get into Pigeon they recommend:
- From the Table or Down Dog, slide the right knee forward between the hands and let the right foot slide over to the left. Slide the left leg back, lowering the hips towards the floor.
- Press down into the palms or fingertips, inhale and reach the crown of the head up, lengthening the spine. Exhale and sink the hips down into the floor. Roll the shoulders down and back and press and lean forward through the chest.
If you’re looking for modifiers, Yoga Journal has some great ideas here.
I’ve worked my way up to staying in this pose for about 5 minutes and then I switch sides and stay for another 5 minutes.
I’ve found it to be a game changer, but I can’t say I always felt this way.
Just a few years ago, it used to be my least favorite pose of class. I couldn’t get okay with it. My knee felt weird, my feet would cramp, and I was always scared I was going to tear something.
Even though I’d feel like I was going to fall on my face, I’d take Crow pose over Pigeon any day of the week.
But now I do it almost every day. So what changed?
Well from a practical standpoint, my hips started to ache throughout the day, so I knew I needed a good hip stretch.
I started out small by doing butterfly pose, which is very basic. You sit on your bottom with the soles of your feet touching. As I’d sit, I’d keep trying to bring my feet closer to my pelvis and my knees closer to the ground.
After this was less of a challenge, I moved to Pigeon and I’ve been deepening into the stretch ever since.
From personal experience, I can tell you my hip pain is gone.
I distance run a few days a month and take a spin class every day. Considering how hard I am on my hips, being pain-free is such a blessing.
When it’s that time of the month and I have lower back pain, it’s my go-to stretch and really helps alleviate the pressure.
A few years ago when I was running a lot, I got sciatica and it really took me out. I even had to walk with a cane for a few weeks. I haven’t had it since, and the doctor credits a lot of that to being religious with the stretching, especially with Pigeon pose.
But beyond the clear physical benefits, I feel a mental release when I get into the pose.
I can get into a meditative state. I think it’s because the pose is a physical manifestation of an issue I’m sure everyone can relate to- holding onto pain and then letting it go.
At first, the pose will feel uncomfortable. My knee will feel weird, or my foot is uncomfortable, but then I remind myself to release the tense muscles in my hips and the pressure starts to lessen. The more I release, the better I feel.
At the same time, I go through the experience mentally.
I hold onto thoughts so tight without even realizing I’m doing it, and then I let them go and feel relief. Then, once again without even realizing it, I start to loop on thoughts again, but then I recognize it and let it go.
It’s a stretch and a life lesson rolled into one pose!
So the real test comes when I get off the yoga mat. Can I remember to continue to release and let things go? Let’s just say some days are better than others!
