Day 5 #SlowIsTheNewStrong - Eka Pada Rajakapotasana or, one legged king pigeon pose.
Yoga handles stiff hips in a variety of ways, but most directly through a family of poses that are known loosely as “hip openers.” Some hip openers increase the external, or outward, rotation of the femur bone in the hip socket. Others lengthen the psoas muscle, a primary hip flexor connecting the torso and legs that gets chronically shortened in our chair-bound society. Pigeon Pose is an extremely effective hip opener that addresses both areas, with the front leg working in external rotation and the back leg in position to stretch the psoas.
If you have any knee injury, I highly recommend supporting the bent leg hip with a blanket, block, or bolster. And - important to note, it's absolutely NON essential to push the front shin forward. Only do this if your hips are like... Gumby! Find what works for you, always. What is really useful to know is that we're trying to level out the balance of the sides of the hips - so try to not tip too much weight to one side. Back toes can be tucked or extended.
In the Yin Yoga system this pose is known as Swan (or sleeping swan with the forward fold). The pose touches the liver and kidney meridian lines (inner thigh and groin); the stomach and spleen meridians (from the line on the top of the back leg); the gall bladder line on outer leg, and the urinary bladder line through lumbar arch.
The pose is a fundamental posture to prepare for Rajakapotasana (King Pigeon - a backbend variation) and also Kapotasana (Pigeon pose - a strong back bend requiring great hip extension). Please take your time in this posture - listen to what the body is asking for - not the brain! Find the essence of Sthira and Sukha = steadiness and ease.
Please join us for this UNchallenge by sharing your photos each day, using the hashtag, and following the hosts and sponsors: @JustinWolferYogi @RadhikaYoga @FreeDiveGirl + @AyurBotanicals @TeeRexDoesYoga @YogasanaMats @MuktiOrganics @EasternSoul and @WolvenThreads. Thank you for your beautiful contributions so far!! We've been really inspired by you all. XX