I hardly ever use the pigeon pose when I need to stretch my tense glutes. It has been a mainstay over the years, especially since I do a lot of yoga, but many people find it difficult for their knees. Pigeon pose isn’t intrinsically “bad” for your knees, but it’s simple to position your legs incorrectly, which can lead to issues.
In light of this, I employ a particular exercise that promises to release tense hips and work on releasing tense gluteal muscles without placing undue strain on your knees. To help with this even more, I would use one of the best yoga mats, but you can also roll a towel or put a cushion under your back knee for additional support. I’ll go over how to do it and some of the advantages.
How to perform the clamshell runner’s lunge
Sam using a block on an exercise mat to execute a low spider lung
Forget pigeon pose. “This is my go-to exercise for working on my hip mobility and opening up my adductors after hours of sitting.”
- With your right knee resting on a mat, begin in a low lunge position with your left leg forward and your right leg back.
- Lengthen your spine and raise your chest.
- Make sure your left knee is positioned above your left ankle.
- To further extend the stretch in your right hip, begin to scoot your back knee further back.
- Roll onto the knife edge of your left foot while slowly opening your left knee to the left.
- You can gently guide your knee wide with your hand.
- Gently move your hips closer to the mat.
- Try to twist in the direction of your left leg for an additional stretch.
- After 30 to 45 seconds of holding, carefully return to the beginning position and switch sides.
What are the advantages?
When striking the pigeon pose, it’s simple to misalign your body. Additionally, some people have restricted range of motion or extremely tight muscles. Many people find the runner’s lunge more accessible, and if you’d like, you can support your knee.
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A complete lower-body release is provided by the clamshell position, which also helps to target the glutes more while stretching your hip flexors. By opening and closing your knee for eight to twelve repetitions, you can increase your pelvic range of motion and add active mobility. As an alternative, simply hold the stretch and focus on your breathing.
If you intend to work on your hips and glutes more in the future, I advise you to understand the distinction between mobility and flexibility. While mobility helps target joint range of motion, flexibility focuses more on stretching the muscles, usually passively but not always.
Pigeon pose is perfectly acceptable; the advantages of other poses are just more readily available. If you want to try pigeon but don’t have access to a mobility coach or yoga instructor, keep your hips and chest square to the mat, resting on the back leg’s thigh, and try not to put any pressure on your inner or outer knee joint.
