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The Bendy Blog: Flexibility Training Articles
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Working Towards King Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
Being able to touch your foot to your head in Pigeon pose (aka King Pigeon, or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana for you yogis) is a great goal for intermediate and advanced students who are interested in working their full body flexibility because it really does require your full body. Also obviously it looks pretty damn cool, which is also a totally appropriate reason to want to be able to do a pose. Below are some suggested variations and drills to help your progress towards a backbend-ier Pigeon.
Body Wheel Stretches for Back & Shoulders
Last week I talked about some of my favorite active back and shoulder exercises using a body wheel (or yoga wheel), this week I’m covering some of my go-to passive stretches using a wheel.
Active Back Flexibility with a Body Wheel
As I’ve written before, my body wheel is one of my favorite flexibility props. It’s a nice way to get some support in stretches - particularly for your back and shoulders.
As I’ve harped on before, a large component of getting more flexible is getting your muscles stronger while they’re in a stretched position (that’s that “active flexibility” all the cool kids are talking about these days). The wheel is great for this because it supports rounding active back exercises in a comfier way than yoga blocks ever can. Here are some of my favorite drills…
Foam Rolling Your Low Back (Safely!)
Are you guilty of PUMMELING your low back with a foam roller? While it may sound like a good idea, a foam roller on a floppy spine can cause more harm than good - especially if you have any back pain. Learn how to safely roll out your low back.
Protecting Your Low Back When Backbending
Does your low back always feel sore after backbending? It's extremely common for people to "dump" a lot of the bend from a backbend into their low back. Your spine has a natural curve here in your lumbar spine, so this is typically where your back “wants” to bend first! But without proper core engagement you may be relying on your bones and joints in your spine to hold the bend instead of your muscles - ouch!