Hip-Opening Yoga to Come Into Flying Pigeon Pose

This hip-opening yoga practice is an intermediate class in which you’ll play around with all the variations of Pigeon Pose—reclined, seated, traditional, standing—as you explore some external hip rotation. It also prepares you for the relatively uncommon arm balance known as Flying Pigeon Pose.

These variations of Pigeon Pose are great for lower body flexibility although the sequence of poses also builds strength through its mix of balancing pose and also works well as a full-body practice.

30-Minute Hip-Opening Yoga to Come Into Flying Pigeon Pose

You can always keep props within reach if you like as you come into Flying Pigeon Pose but don’t worry if you don’t have anything at home.

Reclined Pigeon

Start by lying on your back in your first variation of Pigeon Pose, which is the same shape but reclined. You’ll begin by crossing your right ankle over your left knee, making a figure-four shape. You’re trying to press your right knee and thigh away from you to intensify the stretch. I like to flex my right foot when I do this.

Stay here or reach your arms on either side of your left thigh and pull your left knee toward you. Keep your head and shoulders relaxed on the mat. Also keep your low back on the mat. It might feel good to rock a little side to side.

Then let your left foot come down on the mat.

Half Happy Baby

Come into Half Happy Baby Pose by holding onto your right big toe with your two peace fingers or reaching for your outer right shin and then take your right leg over your right side and try to stack your right ankle over your right knee. You’re pressing your leg open and pulling it down at the same time.

Stay here or you can intensify the stretch by straightening your left leg flat on the mat to stretch the front of the hip. Keep pressing your lower back and left shoulder into the mat.

One more full deep breath in here, and if you had your left leg straight, bend your knee and slide your foot in again.

Reclined Pigeon Twist

Then cross your right ankle over your left knee again and let your knees fall toward the left. Let your left thigh and right foot fall all the way to the floor on the left. I like to use my right hand to push my left thigh so the knee points toward the ceiling. Your right arm can extend straight out to the right side in a twist. Breathe here.

Keep the figure-four shape in the legs as you float them back through center.

One-Legged Bridge Pose

Bring your arms down by your sides and come into Bridge Pose from here. So push down into your left heel, squeeze through the seat, and lift your hips up while your legs are still in the figure-four shape. This is essentially a Pigeon Pose version of Bridge Pose. Think of pressing your right thigh down toward the mat without collapsing your right hip down. So keep both hips lifted and level with one another.

Really press down through your left heel and take one more big breath in here. Then roll yourself down onto the mat, inch by inch.

Low Boat Pose

Pull both knees toward your chest and curl your head and shoulders off the mat. Then bring your shins parallel to the mat. Hold onto the backs of your thighs or reach your arms straight ahead in Boat Pose. Lift your chest a little higher. Stay here or, to intensify the pose, lift yourself a little higher and straighten your legs in Low Boat Pose with your feet at eye level and your arms are reaching forward. Draw the lower belly inward and upward.

Take one more big breath in here, and then bend into your knees and release your head and shoulders to the mat.

Then repeat Reclined Pigeon Pose on the second side, followed by Half Happy Baby, Reclined Pigeon Twist, and One-Legged Bridge Pose on the other side. Then follow it with Low Boat Pose. You might notice that one side feels different from the other, maybe there’s more tightness in one side, and that’s okay. Don’t feel like you have to replicate the exact same intensity or that you need to go to the same level. Really meet your body where it’s at.

Cat-Cow

Come to your hands and knees with your palms under your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Inhale, lower your belly, lift your gaze, and arch your back in Cow Pose.

Exhale, round your back, and relax your neck in Cat Pose. Take a few more rounds here.

 

Downward-Facing Dog

Walk your hands a couple inches past your shoulders and lift up into Downward-Facing Dog. It’s your first Downward Dog, so feel free to bend your knees quite generously. Don’t worry about having your heels touch the mat. If it’s your first time getting any movement in the day, odds are you’re a little stiffer than normal. So remind yourself not to push.

Scorpion Dog

Reach your right leg toward the sky, bend your right knee, and open up your hip. Big thigh stretch here.

Lizard Pose

Step or walk your foot to the outer edge of your right hand with both palms to the inside of your leg in Lizard Pose. Drop your hips a little and think of lifting through your chest. Maybe rock a little front to back.

Dynamic Side Plank

Inch your right foot back several inches, lean into your left hand, and roll onto the outer edge of your left foot. Lean onto the outer edge of your right foot. Then reach your right arm overhead in a variation of Side Plank. Keep leaning your right knee toward the back of the mat in external hip rotation.

Exhale as you lower your left hip toward the mat and reach your right hand toward the back of the mat. Inhale as you press down to lift yourself back up into Side Plank. Do 3 more like this. So exhale, dip the hips, inhale back to that modified Side Plank. Do that twice more.

Bring your right hand down, step your right foot back to meet your left in Downward-Facing Dog, and then repeat these hip openers—Scorpion Dog, Lizard Pose, and Dynamic Side Plank—on your other side. You’ll end up in Downward-Facing Dog.

Downward-Facing Dog

You’re welcome to hang out here in Down Dog or you can take our first vinyasa, inhaling forward to Plank Pose, exhaling as you lower through Chaturanga to your belly, inhaling as you come onto your elbows and point your toes back in Cobra, and then exhaling into Downward-Facing Dog.

Three-Legged Dog

Reach your right leg toward the sky again and keep it straight this time. Exhale as you shift your shoulders forward over your wrists into Plank Pose and tap your knee to your nose. Inhale as you come back to Three-Legged Dog and repeat this movement twice more. So exhale as you squeeze it in. Inhale as you reach it up.

High Lunge

Then step or walk your right foot between your hands. Make sure your feet are hip-distance apart as you press down through your feet and lift yourself into High Lunge. Keep your shoulders over your hips and draw your lower belly in. Pause here and find your stability. Also find something straight ahead that’s not moving to focus on that’s not moving. Keep your gaze here as you hold your balance.

Standing Pigeon Pose

Bring your hands together at the front of your heart. Standing on your right leg, cross your left ankle over the top of your right knee. As you bend into your supporting knee, think of reaching your hips back and moving your chest forward, so you’re working on your balance here. The lower you go, the more intensely you’ll feel this throughout your outer left hip. Think of lengthening through your spine.

Chair Pose

From here, lower your left foot alongside your right and sink back into Chair Pose with your big toes together, heels apart. If it’s more comfortable, you can take your feet hip-distance apart. Sink down nice and low. Inhale and exhale here.

Plank Pose

Fold forward halfway with a flat back and plant your hands on the mat. Step back into Plank Pose and shift back into Downward-Facing Dog or lower down halfway into Chaturanga, then lift into Upward-Facing Dog, and then come into Downward Dog.

Repeat those poses—Three-Legged Dog, High Lunge, Standing Pigeon Pose, Chair Pose, and Plank—on the other side.

Knee to Nose to Mat Taps

From Down Dog, reach your right leg toward the sky, bend your right knee, open your hip in a big thigh stretch. Keep pressing your left heel toward the mat. Bring your knee to your nose. Pause and hold here. Then tap your right knee down to the mat and lift it back up 3 more times like this. Tap and lift.

High Lunge

Sweep your right leg up and back into Three-Legged Dog and then step it forward into High Lunge. Tilt forward, reach your arms back and start to lean forward.

Warrior 3

Use your leaning High Lunge to prepare for Warrior 3. Push off your back leg as you balance on the right leg, keeping your hips and shoulders square to the floor. Squeeze through the hamstrings to lift that back leg up.

Flying Pigeon Pose

Keep balancing on your right foot as you bring your left ankle to your right knee in Standing Pigeon Pose. Sink your hips, lean forward, and bring your palms onto the mat.

Stay here and find your balance or lean forward more to create a shelf with your upper arms. Bring your left knee and shin against your left upper arm and rest your left ankle against your right upper arm. Maybe you lift your back foot off the mat. Keep your right knee bent and either tuck your right heel toward your seat or extend your right leg straight behind in Flying Pigeon Pose.

If your back leg is lifted, lower it to the mat. Slowly unfold yourself.

Chair Pose

Make your way back into Chair Pose. Sink your hips down low and fold. Release halfway. Lift halfway with a flat back, plant your palms, and step it back. Take a vinyasa if you like and meet in Downward-Facing Dog.

Then repeat your Flying Pigeon Pose progression on the other side.

Pigeon Pose

Start to slow things down with the classic variation of Pigeon Pose. From Downward-Facing Dog, your right leg extends up, bring your right knee behind your right wrist, and square off the hip, so you’re not leaning on one side more than the other. Push your fingertips into the mat in front of you can get a nice lift through the chest, maybe you take a little backbend here.

Then fold forward into Pigeon. Take several breaths here.

Seated Pigeon Pose

Push your hands into the floor and lift your chest but stay seated. So you can lean onto your right hip and bring your left leg straight in front of you. We’re going to come into Seated Pigeon Pose, so cross your right ankle over your left knee and then slide that foot in toward you. It might feel good to rock side to side. Think of lifting your chest up.

If you’d like to go further still, you can do the bound variation, in which  you’re holding your right foot with your arms.

Seated Twist

Cross your right foot over your left thigh, wrap your left arm around your left thigh, and find your twist by turning your chest toward the right. You can bring your fingertips to the mat behind you and roll your right shoulder back. Stay lifted nice and tall through the spine. Take a big inhale here and release it as you exhale.

Boat Pose

Come back to center and lift your arms and legs in Boat Pose.

Cross at your ankles and find Downward-Facing Dog. You’re welcome to add a vinyasa here if you’d like. Otherwise, set yourself up for Pigeon Pose on the other side followed by Seated Pigeon Pose, Seated Twist, and Boat Pose.

Reclined Twist

Lower yourself onto the mat, straighten your left leg, pull your right knee toward your chest, and then cross your right knee over your body toward the left in a twist. Your right arm extends straight out to the right. Stay here for at least 5 breaths.

Return to center and do the same thing on the other side.

Savasana

Come into your final resting pose and let yourself have a few minutes of true rest and relaxation. Close your eyes and simply notice the effects of the practice, not just on your body but also on your mental states.

When you’re ready, bring some movement to your body and wake yourself back up. Maybe you stretch your arms overhead, lengthen your fingers and toes.

Come to take a comfortable seat and simply pause here. Maybe be grateful for taking yourself through this challenging practice and for trying some version of Flying Pigeon Pose. Hopefully you feel loosened up and ready to tackle the rest of your day.