What is Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana) – Benefits, How to Perform & Precautions

pigeon pose in yoga — (Source: yogateket)

Indian yoga has played a significant role in health and wellness for ages. However, due to the modern lifestyle, working personnel sit at a desk and work for long hours. This practice tends to tighten our hips and cause numerous other health complications. Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, also known as Kapotasana, is one of the yoga poses that can be tried at home to eliminate such health complications.

One of the essential benefits of pigeon pose is it's a highly effective hip opener. Read the full article to learn about its other health benefits, precautions, and more.

What Is Pigeon Pose or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana?

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana or Pigeon pose is a yoga pose that helps open your hip and relieve lower back pain. It is a deep backbend pose performed in a seated position which helps to improve flexibility. This name has been kept because, in the final pose, the practitioner puffs up their chest, which resembles the shape of a pigeon. If we try to find out the meaning of the name Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, we can break it into:

Eka meaning one
Pada meaning leg
Raja meaning king
Kapota meaning pigeon

In addition, the pigeon pose increases the external rotation of the femur bone in the hip socket as well as lengthens the psoas muscle that connects the torso and legs. If you are interested to know about the benefits of pigeon pose, refer to the list provided below.

What Are the Health Benefits of Pigeon Pose?

There are a large number of benefits that we can get from performing this yoga. Some of the benefits of Kapotasana are:

1. Reduces Lower Back Pain

This yoga pose strengthens your back and spine. Further, an overall stretch of the body helps in reducing lower back pain. It also increases the mobility of the body and helps activate the muscles in the lower back.

2. Opens Up Hips

One of the most essential benefits of pigeon pose is that it effectively opens the hip. An overall stretch of your thighs, back, groyne, piriformis and psoas help in opening the hip. This, in turn, improves blood flow and helps prevent pain or stiffness.

3. Improves Posture

This yoga pose aids in activating the muscles and helps keep the upper body upright. All this ultimately adds up to improving your body posture.

4. Strengthens Back, Abdomen, Hips and Legs

This yoga pose puts extra pressure on the back, abdomen, hips and legs, increasing blood flow in these muscles. This, in turn, helps the muscles get more nutrition and oxygen that aids in strengthening. Practising this asana daily will help prevent back, abdomen, hip and leg injuries while exercising or doing other work.

5. Strengthens Neck, Chest and Shoulder

Rajakapotasana stretches our neck, shoulder, and chest muscles, which helps improve the area's blood flow. In addition, it helps in strengthening and toning the muscles and tone. Regular practice will reduce the shoulder and arm pain while also strengthening the bones.

6. Improves Digestion

Rajakapotasana improves our digestive health if practised daily. It prevents digestion-related issues like constipation and also helps create stress hormones that promote the digestive system's functioning. In addition, it also improves proper bowel movement and also supports the production of digestive juices and enzymes that help in proper digestion.

7. Improves Flexibility of Spine

Daily practice of Rajakapotasana will improve the spine's flexibility and help keep it strong and straight. In addition, as the spine posture is a little bit backward while doing this posture, it reduces the hunch and improves the elasticity of the spine. As a result, it reduces back pain and stiffness of the spine.

8. Improves Functioning of Kidneys and Liver

Regularly practising Rajakapotasana helps stimulate your liver and kidneys health. This is because while doing the asana, a lot of pressure is created on the kidney and liver, producing stress hormones and helping them function better.

Other Benefits

Helps with urinary disorders
Releases negative feelings and undesirable energy stored in our body
Provides emotional benefits like a reduction in fear, stress, and anxiety
Improves the functioning of the reproductive system
It tones muscles around the throat
Helps in reducing blood pressure
Provides immunity and helps in recovering from chronic diseases

How to Perform Pigeon Pose?

Provided below is a step-by-step guide as to how you can perform the pigeon pose:

Step 1: Start with the downward facing dog pose, then bring your right leg up into a downward dog split posture.

Step 2: Bend your right knee and bring your leg forward like you would step into a lunge. Bring your right knee to the floor outside of your right hand. Keep the right shin parallel on the front of your mat or angled back towards the left hip according to your range of motion.

Step 3: Release your left knee to the mat and see that it is flat on the floor. Confirm it by looking back to see that it is pointing straight back.

Step 4: Towards the front of your mat, square your hips. If you are not comfortable, you can take the help of a folded blanket by placing it under the right side of your hip for support.

Step 5: When you are stable, put your torso forward over your right leg.

Step 6: Balance your weight and keep your hips square as best as you can. You can use a blanket or block to keep the balance. Try touching your forehead towards the floor.

Step 7: Keep your hips squared up and breathe.

Step 8: Come back and keep your hands in line with your hip.

Step 9: To release, get back into the downward dog pose by curling your left toes slowly.

Step 10: Repeat this pose on the other side with your right toe.

What Are the Tips for Practising Pigeon Pose?

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana has amazing long-lasting benefits for both your mental and physical health. However, as it is an advanced level pose, some things need to be known before you start practising it. So, here are some tips for practising this yoga pose:

Learn Techniques Properly: Before performing this asana, you need to learn the techniques correctly, as one wrong stretch can result in severe injuries to your muscle and limbs.
Practise a Few Times: Start practising this asana slowly and then build the repetitions gradually. Practising it too many times in the beginning, might result in serious injuries.
Do Not Outstretch the Limbs: While performing this asana, never outstretch your limbs. In addition, if you feel pain at any point while performing this asana, stop immediately.
Use Padding for Support: If you are a beginner, you can use the support of a wall, folded blanket or a yoga block for practising the posture.
Avoid Sudden Jerks: It is good if you gently release out of the asana, avoiding sudden jerks to your muscles.

What Are the Precautions and Contraindications of the Pigeon Pose?

Before practising Rajakapotasana, you should be aware of the following precautions and contraindications so as to not adversely affect your body:

If you suffer from chronic back and shoulder pain, injury or slipped disk, you should avoid performing this pose.
Women who are pregnant and menstruating should not perform this asana.
If you have mild to moderate musculoskeletal injuries, talk to your doctor before practising this yoga.
If you have a migraine headache or insomnia, you should avoid doing Kapotasana.
If you are suffering from spondylitis, stiff back, or sore back, it might be better not to practise this posture.
You should avoid performing rajakapotasana if you are suffering from hypertension.
People with recent knee surgeries or hip, knee, spinal, sacral or abdominal injuries or who have undergone recent hip replacement surgery should avoid practising this asana.

What Are the Easy Modifications of a Pigeon Pose?

If you are a beginner and finding it tough to perform the pigeon pose, you can use the following modifications:

Use a Pillow or Block: When you have overly tight hips and thighs, it is better if you can use some support under your hip. Using a pillow or block under the hip helps a lot.
Take the Help of Folded Blanket or Cushion: If you have excessive knee discomfort, you can place a folded blanket or cushion to support the back and knee.
Use a Strap: If you cannot grasp the back foot with your hands, you can do so with the help of a strap.
Resting on the Forearm: For those who have an underdeveloped core can choose to rest on their forearm for relief. Moreover, with flexibility one can let their belly and chest rest on their front leg.
Changing the Position of the Hands: Changing the position of the hand and bringing it a little forward making the shoulders lean towards the hips.

When it comes to yoga, there are several poses that help in boosting your mental, physical and spiritual health. Furthermore, the health benefits of pigeon pose cannot be overlooked as it is an outstanding yoga pose that you can easily practise at home. All you have to do is learn the steps correctly and keep the precautions in mind.

FAQs About the Pigeon Pose

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Who should avoid doing the Pigeon Pose?

The Pigeon Pose must be avoided by those who are suffering from injuries in their knees or hips.

How long should you stay in pigeon pose?

It would be best if you held the pigeon pose for up to 1 minute. After that, you should slowly release your back leg to the floor and place your hand under your shoulder. Afterwards, you can transition to tabletop pose, child's pose or downward facing dog.