Body & Balance Studio
Posture scan

Pigeon

stretchcoreblahnikpassive

Content last reviewed: 2026-07-06

Pigeon — figure 1

How to do it

  1. Sit on the floor with the legs extended in front of the body as wide as comfortably possible. Rotate the torso toward one leg; bend the knee of the same leg to 90 degrees. Place both hands on the floor in front of the bent knee. Lower the chest toward the inner thigh of the bent knee and bring the straight leg behind the body, resting the outside of the leg on the floor.
  2. Hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds.
  3. Repeat the sequence with the other leg.

Form cues

  • Relax the neck and the shoulders; don’t round the spine.
  • Breathe — Exhale deeply while moving into the farthest point of the stretch; then breathe evenly while holding the stretch.

Dosage

  • Hold: 10–30 s per side
  • Rounds: 2–3
  • Ease to a mild, comfortable stretch — never to pain.

Muscles worked

gluteus maximus — anatomical illustration
gluteus maximusAnatomical illustration derived from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, licensed under CC BY-SA.
piriformis — anatomical illustration
piriformisAnatomical illustration derived from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Stretches: gluteus maximus, piriformis

Target muscles

Gluteus MaximusPiriformis
Posterior Neck Stretch (Chin Tuck, Supine)Shoulder Adductor / Lat Stretch (Supine Overhead Reach)Lateral Neck Flexor Stretch (Side Tilt)Neck Extensor Stretch (Seated/Supine Flatten Neck)Pectoralis Minor Stretch (Supine Assisted)One-Joint Hip Flexor Stretch (Supine, Knee to Chest)