Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
(Pigeon Pose)

Pigeon Pose is a yoga asana that helps open your hips and ease lower back pain. It provides emotional benefits as well by opening the hips and releasing negative feelings and undesirable energy stored in your system. Bottled-up feelings create tight hips.

Steps:

From Downward Facing Dog, bring the right leg up into a Down Dog Split.
Bend your right knee and bring that leg forward as if you were going to step into a lunge. Instead of placing your foot down as you would for a lunge, bring your right knee to the floor on the outside of your right hand. The right shin may angle back towards the left hip or be more parallel to the front of your mat, depending on your range of motion.
Release your left knee to your mat. Your left leg should be flat on the floor. Take a look backward and make sure that your left foot is pointing straight back.
Square your hips towards the front of your mat.
To release, curl your left toes under and step back into a Downward Facing Dog.
Repeat the pose on the other side.

Props suggested:

Padding (a folded blanket works well) under the right side of your hip is suggested as necessary to make the pose more comfortable. If the forward bend is difficult, use a block under your forearms and/or under your forehead. Try to create a support system of props that allows you to relax in the forward bend.

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon Pose)