Pose of the Week - Pigeon.
Pigeon Pose
This is very much a love or loathe pose in yoga but believe me it’s possibly the best hip opener you’ll ever do!
Tight hips seem to affect everyone, me included. Whether you spend hours sitting at a desk, to regular gym goers and professional athletes, some people are just more prone to tightness in this area than others. Whoever you are, tight hips and hip flexors may put you at increased risk of injury due to the increased demands on tissues that aren’t moving properly so we need to look after them!
Pigeon pose is an extremely effective hip opener and works at lengthening the psoas muscles (hip flexors) as well as stretching the piriformis which improves the external, or outward, rotation of the femur bone in the hip socket. Your hips are a key support to your body and its proper functioning therefore open hips will improve your posture, alignment and overall flexibility.
Benefits:
Increases hip mobility
Uses core strength to keep your hips level
Calms your mind
Targets the psoas muscle and hip flexors
For the athlete, this pose is critical to overall health, speed and agility. Open hips relieve the stress transferred to the knees when hips are tight. Less knee strain means a greater range of motion whether it’s in a team sport or solo exercise such as running. Flexible and aligned hips are essential for an athletes' best performance.
Muscles stretching (red): psoas, piriformis
Muscles contracting (blue): Triceps, hamstrings, glutes,
Muscles stretching & contracting (purple): Quads
