Extended Side Angle Yoga Pose

How to do the Extended Side Angle Yoga Pose

1. 1Stand tall and step your feet wide apart, roughly the length of one leg, with your arms extended out to the sides at shoulder height.
2. 2Turn your right foot out 90° so it points to the side, and angle your left foot slightly inward; keep your heels roughly in line with each other.
3. 3Bend your right knee until it stacks directly over your right ankle, with the shin vertical and the thigh working toward parallel with the floor.
4. 4Keeping your torso long, lower your right side and rest your right forearm lightly on your right thigh, or bring the right hand to the floor outside the foot.
5. 5Reach your left arm up and over your head so it forms one continuous line from your back heel to your fingertips, opening the chest toward the ceiling.
6. 6Press into the outer edge of your back foot, draw your belly in, and turn your gaze up toward your top hand if your neck is comfortable.
7. 7Breathe slowly and hold for 5 to 8 deep breaths, lengthening the side body a little more on each exhale.
8. 8To exit, press into your feet, inhale to rise back up to the wide stance, straighten the front leg, and repeat on the opposite side.

Form tips

• Keep your front knee tracking over your second and third toes, never collapsing inward, to protect the knee while it is loaded in the bend.
• Lengthen from the back heel through the top fingertips so the pose is a long diagonal line, not a sideways crunch into the bottom hip.
• Press the bent-knee thigh gently back against your forearm to open the hip and keep your chest rotating upward rather than rolling toward the floor.
• If the floor is out of reach, rest the forearm on the thigh or use a block under the bottom hand so you can hold the shape without straining.
• Ease into the stretch and stop at mild tension, never sharp pain; warm up the hips and hamstrings first if you are cold.

Common mistakes

• Letting the front knee drift past the ankle or cave inward, which overloads the knee joint and ligaments.
• Collapsing the torso down onto the front thigh so the chest rolls toward the floor, which closes the side body and loses the intended stretch.
• Putting heavy bodyweight onto the bottom hand instead of grounding through the legs, which strains the wrist and shoulder.
• Lifting the back heel off the floor, which removes the base of support and reduces the stretch through the back leg and hip.
• Forcing the gaze up to the top hand when the neck is tight, which can pinch the cervical spine instead of releasing tension.

Frequently asked questions