Pose library · Agnistambhasana
Fire Log Pose (Agnistambhasana)
Agni means fire, stambha means pillar or log and asana means posture. You sit with the shins stacked one on top of the other, parallel to the front of the mat, like logs piled for a fire. It is also called Double Pigeon or Square Pose.
Pronunciation and meaning
Agnistambhasana: ug-nee-stum-BAHS-uh-nuh. Agni sounds like ug-nee, and the stress falls on BAHS.
Agni means fire, stambha means pillar or log and asana means posture. You sit with the shins stacked one on top of the other, parallel to the front of the mat, like logs piled for a fire. It is also called Double Pigeon or Square Pose.
How to do Fire Log Pose
- Sit on a folded blanket with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
- Slide your left foot under your right knee and lay the left shin on the floor, parallel to the front of the mat.
- Lift your right leg and stack the right shin on top of the left, so the right ankle sits on or just past the left knee and the right knee rests above the left ankle.
- Flex both feet strongly to protect the knees. Sit tall with the hands on the floor beside you.
- If the knees feel fine, hinge forward from the hips on an exhale. Stay for five to ten breaths, or longer in a slow class.
- Rise slowly, unstack the legs, stretch them out for a moment, and repeat with the left shin on top.
Make it easier
- Put a block or folded blanket under the top knee if it floats high.
- Cross the shins loosely in a simple seat instead of stacking them.
- Practise Figure Four on your back, with one ankle over the opposite knee, which gives a similar stretch with less load on the knees.
Pregnancy and after birth
Pregnancy. Adapt. Sit up tall on a blanket rather than folding forward, keep a block under the top knee, and keep the stretch mild, since joints loosen in pregnancy. Check with your OB or midwife.
After birth. Adapt. After your doctor or midwife has cleared you, try the reclined Figure Four first, then move to the seated version with props.
Expecting? Joahnna Lee Yoga has notes on adapting each trimester.
Common mistakes
- Letting the feet sickle, the ankles curling in, which twists the knees.
- Forcing the top knee down onto the bottom ankle.
- Rounding forward from the upper back instead of hinging at the hips.
Fire Log Pose is a strong seated stretch for the outer hips. It appears in Vinyasa classes as a hip opener and in slower classes as a longer hold. Many people find it intense, so props are part of the pose, not an extra.
The rule that matters most is to protect the knees. Flexed feet and a block under the top knee make a big difference.
How does fire log pose compare to pigeon?
Both stretch the outer hips. Pigeon Pose puts one shin forward and the other leg back. Fire Log stacks both shins in front, which many people feel more deeply. Cow Face Pose stacks the knees instead of the shins, and Butterfly Pose is a gentler hip stretch to start with. The outer hip opening it builds is what Half Lotus Pose, Ardha Padmasana needs before the foot can rest on the thigh.
Who might enjoy it?
Runners and anyone who sits for long hours often find the outer hips tight, and this pose reaches them well. It appears in yoga for runners, and the lower back stretches pair well with it.
Fire Log Pose questions
Why do the knees hurt in fire log pose?
When the hips are tight, the twist goes to the knees instead. Flex the feet, support the top knee with a block, and try the reclined Figure Four. If knee pain is sharp or stays, stop and see a doctor or physio.
Is fire log pose the same as double pigeon?
Yes, those are two names for the same pose. Square Pose is another. The shins are stacked and parallel to the front of the mat.
What does fire log pose stretch?
Mainly the outer hips and the buttocks, with a stretch along the back if you fold forward.