How To Do & Muscles Worked

double pigeon pose
(Agnistambhasana)

The pigeon pose is a fantastic stretch for the hip region. If you’re someone who sits a lot throughout the day, your hips may be tight. This stretch opens up the hips especially stretching the glutes and piriformis.

DIFFICULTY
Easy
Moderate
Challenging

Which Muscles Are Worked?

Diagram of primary and secondary muscles worked from Double pigeon pose

Primary Muscles

Glutes

Secondary Muscles

Exercise Type

How to do double pigeon pose (Agnistambhasana) Properly

Step by Step Guide

Begin sitting on the ground with legs crossed in front of you (which is in hip external rotation).

Gently use your hands to help place one leg directly on top of the other leg - so that the knee is over the opposite leg’s foot and vice versa.

Once the legs are equally stacked in place, sit up straight bringing the spine into neutral and holding an upright posture.

If you can, place the hands on the ground in front of you and slightly lean the torso forward to deepen the hip stretch.

Hold for about 30-seconds.

Repeat for the desired repetitions on that leg. Repeat with the other leg on top.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake is rounding the spine to bend forward more. The focus of this exercise is not the lower back or spine - it’s the hip rotation. So keep the spine neutral as you hinge forward to deepen the stretch. If you are unable to get into this stretch at all, you can also sit on top of a pillow or cushion to make it easier.