16 Cues for Pigeon Pose You Probably Haven’t Heard Before - feature in Crystal Fenton's Article
"6. Come into Thread the Needle
In addition to the folded blanket trick, yoga therapist Jenny Clise often incorporates a modified Thread the Needle into Pigeon to help correct an imbalance in the hips. This approach also intensifies the stretch in the lower body and offers a pretty decent stretch in your shoulders and upper back.
To come into Thread the Needle, start with the arm opposite your bent front leg. Flip your palm up and bring it across your body in front of your bent leg and under your other arm. So if your right leg is forward and bent, you would bring your left arm beneath your chest toward the right side of the mat.
“This helps encourage the left hip forward and down so that it’s more level with the right,” says Clise. You can rest your forehead on the mat or a folded blanket. Or you can turn your head in the direction of your bent leg to intensify the twist."