Pigeon Pose Should Never Hurt Your Knee

While practicing yoga, any painful sensation in the knee joint should be taken very seriously. If you are feeling pressure in the front of the knee while in Pigeon Pose, it may mean your hips are tight.

Here are some poses that will help warm up the hip rotators and associated muscles before attempting pigeon.

Standing poses like Tree Pose and Warrior Pose I, II, and III are helpful.

Also, Bound Angle Pose will externally open the hip joint. Move into Half Lord of the Fishes Pose and increase the hip rotator stretch by drawing the top of the knee into your chest. Lastly, try Cow Face Pose, leaning forward to increase the action in the hips.

When you're ready to try the modified version of Pigeon, place a folded blanket under the hip of the front leg. Also, you will sometimes hear the instruction to pull the front heel away from the groin so the shin is parallel to the front of your mat. Instead, keep the front heel close to the groin. Both of these actions will reduce the amount of rotation required of the hip, which should lessen the chance of pinching the tissues in your knee.