Ekapadarajakapotasana: Pigeon Pose
Ekapadarajakapotasana, or pigeon pose, is one of the best yoga postures that brings the swirling energies of svadisthana chakra into conscious awareness. This posture highlights the depth of our emotion, sexuality, fear, and desire. Sometimes, it is a very challenging posture to practice, in much the same way that resting in feelings of shame or inadequacy can be excruciatingly painful. Other times, pigeon pose can bring immense joy. This is the nature of emotion: great highs, and great lows. Remaining content and keeping equanimity of mind through the swings of emotion will bring great wisdom and self-awareness. Pigeon pose is the perfect posture to practice this ‘emotional equanimity.’ We neither make ourselves dull to our feelings, nor do we push them away. Instead, we learn to simply accept the feelings as they arise, and allow them to pass when their time is up, as they inevitably will.
To practice pigeon pose, begin in downward facing dog pose, or hands and knees pose. Bring one foot forward, placing the ankle next to the opposite wrist, opening up the hip joint. To intensify the posture, slide the foot forward. To make the posture more comfortable, slide the foot in towards the body.
Square the hips evenly. Inhaling, open the chest and soften the shoulders (just as the above photograph depicts). Exhaling, lay the torso out, vertebrae by vertebrae, until the forehead is resting on the earth. Again, ensure that the hips are squared and rooted into the earth. (You may want to place a blanket under the hips so that they can be fully supported. If there is pain in the knees, flex the foot. This will send a command to the muscles of the leg that support the knee joint, preventing injury.)
When you find your pose, soften. Let the hips melt into the earth, and the shoulders relax. These two parts of the body—the hips and the shoulders—are the emotional gateways of life. By softening and relaxing here, we allow our emotions to flow, instead of suppressing them, pushing them away, or trying to control them. Emotions are like water. It is best to appreciate their beauty whether they come in the form of a torrential downpour, or a soft-flowing stream, without the tendency to push them away, or pull them closer. Simply observe, and appreciate.
To practice pigeon pose, begin in downward facing dog pose, or hands and knees pose. Bring one foot forward, placing the ankle next to the opposite wrist, opening up the hip joint. To intensify the posture, slide the foot forward. To make the posture more comfortable, slide the foot in towards the body.
Square the hips evenly. Inhaling, open the chest and soften the shoulders (just as the above photograph depicts). Exhaling, lay the torso out, vertebrae by vertebrae, until the forehead is resting on the earth. Again, ensure that the hips are squared and rooted into the earth. (You may want to place a blanket under the hips so that they can be fully supported. If there is pain in the knees, flex the foot. This will send a command to the muscles of the leg that support the knee joint, preventing injury.)
When you find your pose, soften. Let the hips melt into the earth, and the shoulders relax. These two parts of the body—the hips and the shoulders—are the emotional gateways of life. By softening and relaxing here, we allow our emotions to flow, instead of suppressing them, pushing them away, or trying to control them. Emotions are like water. It is best to appreciate their beauty whether they come in the form of a torrential downpour, or a soft-flowing stream, without the tendency to push them away, or pull them closer. Simply observe, and appreciate.
