Ardha Kapotasana

 Ardha Kapotasana resembles a pigeon in the final position. In Sanskrit, Ardha means half, Kapota means Pigeon and Asana means a pose. It is an intermediate level pose and helps to open up the hips and groin muscles.

Ardha Kapotasana is an excellent pose to bring flexibility to the hips and legs. Those who wish to master Padmasana can practice Ardha Kapotasana to open up the hips and to make the leg muscles flexible.

Ardha Kapotasana should be avoided by those suffering from any kind of knee or hip injury.

For practitioners who have any kind of a knee or hip injury this Ardha Kapotasana has to be avoided strictly since it puts a lot of pressure on these body parts.

It is very important to be careful initially while you are practicing this yoga pose because overstretching may lead to grievous injuries.

It is perfectly fine to take support of yoga accessories like yoga blocks or yoga bolsters while practicing this pose in the initial stages. This can come in handy to practice this pose without any injuries.For people suffering from low or high blood pressure, this pose should be strictly avoided.

Procedure for Ardha Kapotasana:

• Sit on the floor in the kneeling position or Vajrasana.
• Bend forward and place your hands on the floor with palms touching the ground. Let the hands be placed about 2 feet apart or the shoulder length.
• From this position, raise yourself up to the cat pose or Marjariasana.
• Spread out the knees so that there is a shoulder length gap between the two knees.
• Now bring the left foot forward and bend it sideways towards the right. Place the left foot just in front of the right knee.
• Stretch the right leg behind and straighten the right knee.
• Place the hands on the floor next to the hips.
• Raise the chest and head. Gaze straight ahead.
• Breathe slowly and deeply and maintain the position for as long as you are comfortable. In this final position, the practitioner looks like the pigeon from the sides.
• To release the position, raise yourself up and slide back the left leg to the cat pose or Marjariasana.
• Repeat the steps with the right leg bend and the left leg stretched behind.
• Once the practitioner has mastered the above pose, a further step can be done by bending the right leg upwards and holding the toes with the hands from over the head. This is difficult for beginners and will need good flexibility of the entire body.

Benefits of the half pigeon pose

• The half pigeon pose provides deep stretch to the leg muscles of practitioners. It opens up the hip and is indispensable if you are looking to strengthen your legs and improve their flexibility.
• For people who want to improve hip flexibility and achieve full split, this yoga asana is very useful to get their body ready.
• If you are someone who suffers from Sciatica, regular practice of this asana can help in providing you with lasting relief.
• Regular practice of half pigeon pose improves the overall posture of the practitioner and provides relief from nagging issues like back pain due to lifestyle problems.
• Ardha kapotasana stretches the spine and improves back flexibility. This has massive impact on your overall well being as well.
• Practicing the half pigeon pose activates the endocrine glands like Thyroid, Pituitary and Adernal glands. It also improves the overall performance of the practitioner’s digestive system.
• With increased blood circulation, this asana helps in rejuvenating the body and provides relief from stress. It also helps in calming the mind.
• Since your chest is in a puffed up position in the half pigeon pose, regular practice helps in increasing lung capacity and improves your breathing as well. It helps in opening up your chest muscles.