Flying Pigeon Poseगालवासन

Place a folded blanket ahead of where your hands will go, then stand and cross the right ankle above the left knee in a figure four. Sit the hips back and flex the right foot hard so the ankle can hook onto the arm. Fold forward, plant both hands shoulder-width apart, and hook the right shin across both upper arms with the foot wrapped past the far arm. Bend the elbows, lean the chest forward until the standing foot lightens, then lift it off. Extend the back leg straight behind you, hold, then lower and change sides. Hold for 3–6 breaths each side.

Primarily the shoulders, abdominals, glutes, with the triceps, wrists, hip flexors assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: balances on two arms with one shin hooked across them, so the shape is held by the hooked foot as much as by strength.

Wrist injury or carpal tunnel syndrome. Knee injury on the crossed leg, which is in deep external rotation. Shoulder injury. Pregnancy and recent abdominal surgery. A forward tip lands on the face — always have a folded blanket in front of the hands. This is general information, not medical advice — if any of these apply to you, ask your doctor and learn the pose with a qualified teacher rather than from a page.

No. Flying Pigeon Pose is rated advanced. The shape itself is rarely the problem — arriving at it years too early is. Work through the beginner and intermediate balance poses on this site and learn this one in person.

The honest answer is that nobody has measured a single asana. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values for styles of yoga, not for individual poses. Flying Pigeon Pose sits closest to Compendium code 02175, yoga, Power, at 4 MET — about 147 kcal for 30 minutes of that kind of practice for a 70 kg adult. Holding one pose for a minute is a rounding error either way.