|
|
| As a student, for years, I've been told to get my forehead to the mat in pigeon, or to make contact with the forehead and "something", so you can stack your fists and rest the forehead on the fists. At first I used to think it had something to do with the pressure on the forehead, or 3rd eye, being desireable. Then, I started to think it's a function of allowing the upper body to rest. I realized I've been teaching to "make contact with the forehead to the mat or tacked fists" , but I don't know why. I'd like to find out! I'm going to research it, but thought this would be a good place to start.
TIA
|
|
| |
|
| i find that there are a number of reasons for it, and one is so that people aren't "cranking" th eneck in either direction. some folks will force their heads up and end up pinching the back of the neck, and then others let their heads drop, which then hyper extends teh back of their neck.
so, we use hands, arms, bolsters, blocks, towels, etc to support the head.
the other aspects are relaxation, and of course the 3rd eye benefits. 
but, i do the same in things such as child's pose, because i don't want people's necks to get tweaked. |
|
| |
|
| Thank you for the speedy reply!
Edited by Kym 2008-01-31 11:02 AM
|
|
| |
|
| It's interesting when you move from "this is how you do this" to "this is why you do this."
I was told/taught that this version of pigeon is very passive and the hold usually longer. Seems like this helps relax the body and allows the stretch to stay in the hips/legs.
|
|
| |
|
| I suspect there are several issues at play and several layers of "truth".
In forward-bending action it seems "appropriate" to retain the length of the anterior or front spine. Many, many students have a "different" action in their forward bends and are so eager to get their top down without getting their middle involved.
If the spine is not moving toward the floor (some would say heart), should the head be moving toward the floor? If the posture is one of rounding the back then the answer is yes. But most forward bending involves the action of maintaining a neutral spine.
In the pose mentioned, before forward bending, there is an aspiration or ascent in the front body. That aspiration is retained through the forward bending, just as one hopes it is in moving from Urdhva Hastasana to Uttanasana in Surya Namaskar. Once the student looses that aspiration then it is not appropriate to drop the head or "top" to the floor. Enter prop - folded hands, block, or smarter student.
|
|
| |
|
| My focus when teaching pigeon is not about the forward bend, even though all the students tend to long for that: sleeping pigeon is the pose they want, but that's not the hip-opener and precursor to splits that I tend to have in mind. Avoiding the unmindful collapse of the upper body (as Purna described) is the way to go. Bringing a restorative element to an otherwise active BACKBEND pose is a whole 'nother story. Personally, I don't think I've ever practiced pigeon with my forehead on the floor. My forehead on propped fists, yes, but even then my hands were not directly on the floor. Either the elbows were bent and the fists were held in the air, or I had them on a bolster. I'm just not open enough to keep my spine neutral and pelvis square to be able to lower that far down to the floor. But then again, I'm a stickler for maintaining alignment, even in a restorative.  |
|
| |
|
| thank you again for all the helpful responses |
|
| |
pigeon and the forehead
