Pigeon Pose

Pigeon is a hip opener pose that you’ll find in Dawn Patrol and High Altitude Yoga II . You'll stretch through the hip of your front leg, as well as the outer thigh. Your back leg is working, too, and you may also feel a stretch through your inner thigh. This can be a difficult pose and while it seems there are countless tips, we're sharing our top tips for you here:

• Keep your hips square to the mat. We have a tendency to lean toward the side of our front leg. If you notice this, bring the hip of your back leg toward the ground as you lift the hip of your front leg up.

• Don't be afraid to use a block! If you have tight hips and feel like your exerting a lot of energy to keep your hips square to the mat or have any hip pain, bring a block or rolled-up towel below the thigh of your front leg to provide support (see picture 2 below).

• Adjust the positioning of your hands as needed. If you have tight hips, you may find that keeping your hands on the mat works better for you and doesn't make you strain. If you need more of stretch, lower onto your forearms. And if you find you need more of a stretch from there, you can walk your hands toward the front of the room and eventually rest your forehead down. Remember the goal of the pose is to stretch through your hips, not the positioning of your hands.

• Breathe. Take slow, deep breaths in this pose. This is an active stretch, but allowing your body to relax into it really does help!