'Therapy' for the hips from Pigeon Pose

In yin yoga , the target areas are mainly in the lower back and the hip region . Because all connective tissues ( facias ) bind in and around the hip joints are strong and tough. Yin yoga approach works deeper and it is more effective by holding longer in a pose.

Baron Baptiste - pioneer of power vinyasa in the west , calls the hips the ' mother of all movement'. as you gain more freedom in the entire bodies once it is opened & loosen up. The hips are the emotional storage depot for the body.They house a good portion of your tension and stress, and as you start releasing your pelvis and softening that tissue, the rest of your body effortlessly shifts into a natural order of alignments.

I start to integrete the study from the recent yin yoga workshop and make assessment with students when i do the hip opener class. The following examples to illustrate how everyone looks different in Pigeon when everyone's hip joints are different ( both Male and Female ) , and aslo the porportion and the size of the Femur. Hopefully , the assessment will help to find their own range of the movement and get the best 'therapy' for their hips ( IT band and Joints ) that is the primary focus for doing Pigeon pose.

For Female , i use Two Melissa ( Leong & Ang ) , their orientations of the placement of the leg is the same , line up with the mat and this is the result;

.Melissa Leong has better external rotation of the right hip

Melissa Ang may get the compression in her right hip or the right knee if she lines up same as Melissa Leong

I Line up these 3 male students to illustrate the different ' angle' of the left knee when their legs are positioned at 45 degree angle and their hips are square, this is how they look;

John 's left knee is pretty far away from his center

James 's left knee almost paralleled with his right hip

Chong 's left knee is closed to his center