Today I’m gonna share how bird pose yoga (and actually 4 bird yoga poses) can help you get some of the tight kinks out. Below I spend time on Pigeon Pose because I think it’s underrated for all the benefits (especially if your joints need some flexing).
And I believe everyone can use yoga no matter what profession we have or how active we are (as we tend to do repetitive actions that the body can get irritated with).
At some point, some part needs a stretch, and if you keep up with stretching, then the body cells remember the stretched feeling, and you don’t have to grease up the joints as much to get there.
I remember I took a season away from yoga at the beginning of my yoga journey and I thought I would have to start all over again.
I was surprised and happy to find that was not the case. I did lose muscle, but the time off actually restored certain smaller worn muscles. They appreciated the time off 😊
It’s like getting rest on the weekends. You probably need more self-care time than you initially think. Like if you take a few days off, your body kinda can unwind but isn’t totally relaxed. It’s ready to jump back into busyness, but that’s not good for your body.
And if you take a purposeful year off like I did to discover, travel, and recoup, you may sleep like a hibernating bear (and bypass a mid-life crises later on if that still exists). You could call it a gap year or sabbatical.
Then once restored and feeling like a million bucks, your body wants to get back in action.
Ignoring the body can catch up with all of us at some point, but the good news is we have a chance to make healthy changes along the way.
When we’re in a busy season, carving out time to work out is hard work, and so many of us don’t get to do it, or we prefer to spend our time with other fun or catch-up activities. Plus, how exciting is it to talk to others about your workout instead of a fun outing event you had?
But like many good things for you, they are not exciting.
Like habits. But little by little (and in micro-habits) they make a difference and the sooner you do them, the sooner they stick.
Yoga fitness is one (less intense) way you can do and stay consistent with fitness habits. And if it’s important for you to check off working out for your week, consistent yoga could be your savior… and you never know, could pivot you into other fitness areas as you discover more about your body.
You can do yoga anytime and anywhere without a change of clothing (or babysitter). If I told you some of the places I did yoga, you’d probably laugh… like on a cold, swept restaurant floor and on a busy, warm sanded beach…
I found that adding fun challenges with step and move goals kept me motivated. And keeping the eyes on the prize helps… like staying energetically healthy as life progresses. I think we all want that in our lives so we can have a high-quality life.
That’s where the bird yoga poses I mention below can help. The poses can relax and stretch you (both body and mind). And since none of us can fly on our own (at least not today), this is the closest we can get to being a bird. 😁
These inspirational bird yoga poses (that can be goals) could help encourage you to work on all or one of these core yoga areas: strength, flexibility, balance (holistic fitness), and I’d add alignment also because one side is usually tighter than another. Or, one slight tweak move in a muscle can be all you need for that nagging pain you or others have been complaining about in conversation.
Yoga isn’t a rigid practice (it’s individualistic), so you can call it stretching if it’s less intimidating and can stretch your imagination to wanting to give a GO.
The name of poses are really just to help you know which poses to get into, but your body and its needs are unique, so tweak the poses in a way that makes you feel good (and doesn’t hurt).
And in case you’re new, yoga stretches should not give you a wincing pain or any agony where you’re biting your lip. And if you’re not in alignment for certain poses (likes ones bearing the weight of certain body parts), you won’t necessarily feel the misalignment at the moment. It could show up in a day or two, like when you work out with weights. So use good form in the pose moment.
Stretches should feel like you needed the stretch, and the longer you hold the stretch the less tight it becomes, wearing off the tight kinks. And of course, if you have any injuries, avoid those areas until they fully heal.
But other than those caveats, yoga can solve most daily and accumulated nagging sore muscle issues! I’m living proof 😊
So here are 4 inspirational bird yoga poses to work on and towards (and btw, you won’t end up on all 4’s even if you start out that way, so you can test out your flying ability just a little).
Crane Pose – is a good mat pose for building strength in arms
In this one, you’re supporting your body with your arms. Your feet start off on the floor and then lift off.
You want to be careful not to twist your wrists (the good form is keeping them straight on your mat and perpendicular to your matching left and right shoulders).
When I went through a short season where I stopped doing my arm exercises like push-ups, getting in a crane was like starting over. I had to build back the arm strength that this pose requires. Your body may feel that way or may not have those issues, but instead other ones in other areas.
Yoga is a journey and that’s what I think keeps it interesting. You’re always working on something. And for you, it could also be strength and/or a combination of flexibility and balance (or all of the above). We all start somewhere with our one and only body, so keep trying.
Pigeon Pose – is a floor or mat pose good for developing flexibility in the hip, legs, knees, and butt(ocks)
When you have tight quads or hips, this pose can help get you outta that quandary. As with most yoga poses, there are many variations and if you want to keep your arms and legs on the mat the whole time, that’s an option.
You want to find the body spots that are tight and sore and work on those. You can do this by moving around your pointed straight back leg after you get in the Pigeon Pose (that btw, your leg isn’t supporting the weight of other parts of your body so it’s OK to move it around in this pose if that doesn’t offer your body any pain).
And Pigeon Pose can help with your largest muscle groups like your quads, your glutes (butt), plus the tight muscles surrounding your knees that you wouldn’t easily be able to get to in everyday positions. We underestimate how much we need our knees to easily work to be mobile.
In Pigeon Pose, each side won’t necessarily be equal in terms of tightness and you’ll realize that quickly. So give more attention to the side that needs the longer stretch.
The easiest way to get in this pose is to start in Downward Dog (your “V” with all 4’s planted) and then hinge your body and arms forward with one leg you want to have in front. Do this like a flow motion (also called Vinyasa).
Then sit down on the mat focusing on squaring (aligned) hips to your shoulders. And the opposite leg will rest straight (not bent) back behind you with the top of your foot on the mat. You should feel long and that can feel good in itself!
With this bird yoga pose, you can also work on opening your shoulders if you can reach back and grab your bent leg and foot. This is a chance to look up to the ceiling or sky. It’s a nice break for your neck.
If you regularly cook, clean floors, or work on a laptop on your lap, you may not realize how many hours you’re looking down all the time, and that hurts your neck that supports your head, brain, and reminder… your mind control center.
Well, when it’s put that way!…
But anyway…
In this active Pigeon Pose, there’s a good opportunity to look up (and restore your neck).
OK, this reminds me of movie theaters… have you ever sat in the front row of a movie theater? I haven’t been to one in ages. But when I was a teen, movie theaters were often packed and we’d arrive later and not having a choice, had to sit in the front row just a few feet away from the big screen.
That felt like the worst movie scenario at the time. We had to crank our necks and gaze up for the entire movie. Looking back now, we didn’t know the yoga neck-posture benefits we were deploying back then. You may remember me next time you’re at the movie theater 😉
So deploy that head up move in your active Pigeon Pose… or you can gracefully go into a more passive Swan Pose (like in the theater production Swan Lake). This is almost like a resting child’s pose, but a great stretch all around as your arms are stretched long on the mat and your one leg behind you. I love this bird yoga pose as you feel graceful as your body is stretched from one end of the mat to the other (maybe why ballerinas love it too).🩰
If you have tight quads or muscles you can’t seem to get to in your regular stretch routines, this pose can do the trick over time or days. The longer you can hold the pose (like minutes at a time), the better the benefit. You feel the healing working when you ever so slightly move and the tightness eases up.
It feels good just talkin’ about it 😉
Eagle pose – is a good standing balance pose
On earth, eagles are harder to come by in the world. They were an endangered species and can fly higher than their prey and vultures. That’s the meaning behind: “I can fly higher than an eagle” song verse in Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings” song.
This one takes a little body coordination memory. Just remember, the same side where one leg is lifted off the ground is the same side where the arm/elbow will wrap underneath the other. Then in union (the definition of yoga), the hands will meet.
When you’re in this pose, you feel good for being able to stand on one leg in balance… and you can do this anytime and during commercial breaks. Or even in regular clothes, like this photo of me below where I’m in a dress wearing big costume jewelry ready to go to a holiday event, but still getting the benefits of my eagle here 🦅…
Bird of Paradise – is a pose that challenges flexibility, balance, and leg strength (…and isn’t a bird at all. It’s a tropical orange flower that could be found in this type of paradise environment at the Miami Botanical Center).
The Bird of Paradise pose is a complete mind-body pose (and not one in awareness where I want to be wearing a dress without showing too much of my flower if ya know what I mean!). So you’ll just have to trust me here and give it a try yourself.😉
And if you want to know the mind-body mechanics of the bird yoga pose, I wrote a past blog post on this great pose.
If you can do this pose, then you have a good shoulder opener, leg strength builder, and torso flexor, all-in-one. Plus your mind will be stretched in a good way (focused and in the moment). Just something to consider especially if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and stuck in life… Bird of Paradise yoga pose can be a nice little goal to take your mind off for a brief moment.
You can change your outlook one bird yoga pose (and day) at a time.