Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
seated back-bending posture in modern yoga
Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Sanskrit: एक पाद राजकपोतासन; IAST: Eka Pāda Rājakapotāsana), Rajakapotasana, or [One-legged] King Pigeon Pose is a seated back-bending asana in modern yoga as exercise. The Yin Yoga form of the asana is named Swan Pose, while the Aerial yoga variant, supported in a hammock, is called Flying Pigeon Pose. The basic pose is described in the 20th century by two of Krishnamacharya's pupils, Pattabhi Jois and B. K. S. Iyengar; several other variants have been created. It is one of the yoga poses often used in advertising to convey desired qualities such as flexibility and grace.
Etymology and origins
The name comes from the Sanskrit words eka (एक) meaning "one"; pada (पाद) meaning "foot", rāja (राज) meaning "king", kapota (कपोत) meaning "pigeon" and āsana (आसन) meaning "posture" or "seat".
The pose is described in the 20th century by two of Krishnamacharya's pupils, Pattabhi Jois in his Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, and B. K. S. Iyengar in his Light on Yoga.
Description
Starting from sitting in Dandasana (stick pose), one knee is bent, keeping the knee on the floor, so the foot is just in front of the groin, and the other leg is taken straight back. For the completed pose bend the knee of the rear leg, and grasp the foot or ankle with one or both hands. Rajakapotasana is described as strongly hip-opening, both increasing the outward rotation of the femur in the hip joint of the front leg, and lengthening the hip-flexing psoas muscle of the rear leg. The hip of the front leg can be supported by a repeatedly-folded blanket if it does not descend fully to the floor.
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