T he mermaid pose is a variation of the one-legged king pigeon pose, also known as Eka Pada Rajakapotasana in Sanskrit. This pose is perfect for those who want to deepen their backbend and open ...

Stretching should be restorative, not painful, so if pigeon pose is feeling a little torturous, here are some other hip-openers to try instead. Unpopular opinion: I don’t like pigeon pose.