Day 18 of 30 of the #teamlivelongandprosper yoga challenge! Today we have Frances in Half Pigeon (Eka Pada Kapotasana) and King Pigeon (Raja Kapotasana)! Both are back bending postures and deep hip openers which create mental chatter and tend to being up emotions, acknowledge any tension in the hip region on the inhales. Release the muscles on the exhales to quiet the mind. Half Pigeon opens the chest and hips, stretches the thighs and groin muscles. The effects of King pigeon are similar to half pigeon with a deeper back-bend and a left leg quadriceps and hip flexor stretch. It also stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands, the adrenal glands and urinary organs. Points of Alignment: (on the right) *From downward facing dog, inhale the right foot forward and bring the right knee to the back of the right wrist *Bring the right foot to the left side of the mat. Flex the right foot to protect the right knee and engage the hip muscles *Straighten the left leg behind on the mat in line with its hip with the top of the foot on the floor *Level the hips, shifting the right bone back and the left sitting bone forward *Bring the hands alongside the hips or clasp them on the inside of the left thigh, puffing the chest open like a pigeon *Exhale and release the chest toward a the floor and rest the forearms onto the mat in front. If comfortable, release the forehead to the mat and relax the arms on the floor. To move into King Pigeon: *From half pigeon bend the left knee and take hold of the inner ankle withy the left hand *Grab the left foot with the right hand, drawing the right arm across the front of the body *Release the left hands grip *Draw the right forearm over the head and bend the arm alongside the left ear so its elbow is pointing towards the sky *Puff open the chest and arch the neck back so that the back of the head rests against the sole of the foot In both postures a folded blanket can be placed under the right hip for more support. For King Pigeon students can make a loop in a strap and place it around the left foot and grab the strap with either or both hands. Dont forget to use #teamlivelongandprosper and tag both myself and Frances Kilkenny in your post to be entered into the drawing everyday! ***If you would like to be added to the contact list about the release of the new program PiYo on June 19th, please comment more info below! I have a PiYo focused challenge group opening June 30th, spots are limited so please let me know if youre interested in joining the group! *****
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 14:07:11 +0000
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