Featured Pose: Reclined Leg Stretch (Supta Padangusthasana)

by Baxter

This classic stretch  pose is both a hip opener and a leg stretch, as it stretches your hips in several different directions while also stretching the backs of your legs and lengthening your lower back. It releases muscle tension in your legs and hips from sitting, standing, or walking. And because it releases physical stress from your lower body, it can be relaxing during stressful times or if you just tend to store stress in your body. Because the four versions get your hips moving through much of their range of motion, they are excellent for starting a longer practice or even just doing on their own as a mini practice.

Baxter prescribes this for:

• tightness in the backs of the thighs, the hips and the lower back
• chronic back pain
• releases tight muscles pulling on knees, and strengthens those that straighten the knees
• warming up for standing or seated forward bends, or for twists
• stress relief

Timing: If you are an experienced practitioner, hold the pose for 1-2 minutes. If you are new to the practice, start by holding this pose for 30 seconds, working up to 1-2 minutes over time. Rest for a few breaths afterwards in Relaxation pose before moving on to your next pose. To make the series into a mini practice, do the variations in order on one side, and then repeat on the second side.

Cautions: If you experience low back pain when you practice version 1 or 2, try bending your bottom leg and placing the sole of the feet on the floor. And if low back pain is an ongoing problem for you, we recommend that you skip version 4 entirely. For any version, if the pose causes hip or back pain, try backing off a bit to see if the pain resolves. If not, skip that version.

1. Leg Straight Up

This version stretches the back of your hip and hamstring muscles of your top leg (the back of your thigh) and to a lesser degree your calf, releasing tightness in these areas and providing relief from low back pain.

To come into the pose, start in Constructive Rest position, lying on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. With a strap in hand, bend your right knee into your chest, place the strap over the arch of the right foot and straighten the right knee, stretching your foot towards the ceiling, keeping some tension on the 2 sides of the strap, walking each hand up the sides of the strap until the arms are straight. Slide the bottom leg long on the floor, straightening the left knee and pressing out through the left heel. Adjust the angle of the right leg forward or back until you can easily keep the right knees straight and still have a feeling of stretch in the hamstring and calf of the right leg. Relax your shoulders, and make sure your lower spine is either softly touching the floor or slightly arched away from it (and is not jammed into floor or over-arched). After you have aligned yourself, bring your attention to the sensations in your body or follow your breath.

To come out of the pose, bend your right knee, slip the strap off your foot, and lower your right leg to the floor. Then strap aside and shake out both hands for a moment. Repeat on the second side. When you’ve finished both sides, bend both knees and come into Constructive Rest pose for a few breaths.

2. Leg to the Side  

This version focuses the stretch on the inner thigh muscles of your raised leg, releasing tight hip muscles. It also strengthens your core muscles, which helps relieve low back pain by improving spinal stability.

To come into the pose, start in version 1. Next, take both sides of the strap into your right hand and stretch your left arm out to your left side in a “T” position. Continue stretching out through your left leg as you slowly bring your right leg out to your right side and down towards the floor, stopping when your foot is one to two feet from the floor, according to your flexibility. Your hips will tip slightly to your right.

Bring your right elbow to the floor as you keep tension on the strap and press your right foot into it. To create more stretch around your hip, turn your right leg so your heel spins up and toes spin down. If holding your leg out to the side is painful or too much effort, place a block or folded blanket under your right thigh to support it. When you’re aligned, follow the instructions for the classic pose for finding a focus.

To come out of the pose, return to version 1 by lifting your leg back to vertical. Then follow the instructions for coming out of version 1. Repeat on the second side.  

3. Scissor Legs  

This variation stretches your outer hip and leg, which is particularly helpful walkers, hikers, runners and cyclists, who tend to be tight in these areas. Unlike version 4, this version doesn’t require twisting your spine, so it is safer for some with lower back pain.

To come into the pose, start in version 1. Next, take both sides of the strap into your left hand and extend your right arm out to the side in a “T” position. Keeping your lower back and pelvis on the floor, bring your right leg toward your left, about 6-12 inches across the mid-line of your body. Keep some tension on the strap and press your right foot into it.

To create more stretch around your hip, roll your outer right hip away from your waist so your right heel spins to the left and right toes spin to the right. When you’re aligned, follow the instructions for the classic pose for finding a focus.

To come out of the pose, return to the version 1 by bringing your leg back to vertical. Then follow the instructions for coming out of version 1. Repeat on the second side.

4. Twisting  

Like version 3, this version stretches your outer hip and leg along with your deep buttock muscles. But because this version is also a twist, it also opens your chest and releases tight back muscles.

To come into the pose, start by coming into version 1. Next, take both sides of the strap into your left hand and extend your right arm out to the side in a “T” position. Roll your hips and legs to the left, coming onto your outer left leg so your right hip is stacked on top of the left. Then swing your right leg directly out to the left so it is parallel to the floor, with your toes pointing to the wall behind you.

As you continue to reach your right arm out the side, try to keep both shoulder blades on the floor. If you can’t keep the right one on the floor due to tightness in your chest, allow it to remain a bit lifted. Keep some tension on the strap and press the right foot into it. To create more stretch for your right hip, leg, and buttock muscles, roll your right hip down toward your left foot and away from the right side of your waist. If holding your leg out to the side is painful or too much effort, place a block or folded blanket under your right foot to support it. When you’re aligned, follow the instructions for the classic pose for finding a focus.

To come out of the pose, return to version 1 by bringing your leg back to vertical. Then follow the instructions for coming out of version 1. Repeat on the second side.

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Featured Pose: Reclined Leg Stretch Sequence

by Baxter and Nina

The Reclined Leg Stretch sequence (Supta Padangusthasana) opens your hips and stretches the backs of your legs. It’s a perfect starting pose for just about any practice, as we usually like to start low (on the ground, that is!) and work up to standing poses. But it also works as a great standalone mini practice, providing relief for lower back pain or release of leg muscle tension due to sitting, traveling, or walking. And if you tend to store stress in your body, it’s also a great anti-stress pose after any stressful event or simply at the end of your work day.

The three variations of the pose take you first through forward folding at your hip joint, then, with your top leg out to the side, abduction of the femur, and finally, with your leg across the midline of your body, into a twist, adduction of the femur and rotation of the lower vertebrae of the spine, so you get overall opening of your hips and some twisting, too.

Baxter prescribes this pose for:

• any musculoskeletal conditions that result in tightness in the hamstrings, hips and lower back
• chronic back pain
• general knee conditioning
• stress relief

Instructions: Start by making a loop with the strap and have it ready off to your right side.

Now recline on your back, bend your right knee into your chest, place the loop over the arch of your right foot and straighten your leg toward the sky. Adjust the size of the loop so your arms can be comfortably straight. Press from both your hips to your heels. Stay in this version one for 14-16 breaths.

For the next variation, keep your bottom leg engaged and take the loop into your right hand and extend your left arm out to the side. Now slowly take your right leg out to the right side of the room until your foot is about 12 inches off the floor. If this feels painful or like too much effort is required to hold your leg in position, place a block or folded blanket under your right thigh for support. Stay for 14-16 breaths and on a exhale return to your leg to vertical.

Finally, take the loop into your left hand and extend your right arm out to the side. Then take your right leg across the midline of your body and over to your left side about 6-12 inches, keeping your lower back and pelvis on the floor.

Stay for 14-16 breaths, then release out of the pose, returning to a symmetrical position, either with legs straight or both knees bent, feet resting on the floor. Take a few moments to feel your body, and then repeat the series on your left side.

Cautions: Don’t pull your top leg aggressively toward your chest (although you can encourage it in that direction) as this could result in a strain to the origin of your hamstrings at your sitting bone, as well as aggravating a lower back condition if your lower back ends up flattening too firmly into the floor.

If you have weak wrists and fingers, you may need to modify the strap by making a loop and hooking your fingers over the loop to hold onto the strap—this makes it much gentler and easier for fingers and wrists.

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Accepting Reclined Leg Stretch

by Nina

An excellent time to combine acceptance with active engagement (as Baxter discussed in his post yesterday) is when you are doing yoga poses. By far, the healthiest and most effective way to do yoga poses is to cultivate an awareness of your body’s current state while at the same time actively working toward making changes to it, such as stretching or strengthening. This is one of the best ways to protect yourself from injury. And it also helps you reap the most benefits from your poses.

When I was trying to think of a pose that epitomized this need for both acceptance and active engagement, Reclined Leg Stretch pose (Supta Padangusthasana) sprang to mind. To be honest, that’s because every time I've taught the pose, I’ve seen people “cheat” (yes, I’m talking about you with the bent leg over there), a sure sign that the “acceptance” side of the equation is lacking.

Reclined Leg Stretch (Supta Padangusthasana) is a very beneficial pose because it revitalizes your legs while it eases tension in your lower back. It stretches your hamstring muscles and your hip joints, which is important for maintaining physical health if you sit at a desk or walk a lot. It is also helpful for lower back pain and maintaining a healthy back. And it’s a great way to begin a yoga practice or even to do as a “single pose practice.” Plus, you get to do it lying down! 

Baxter prescribes it for: 

• leg fatigue or weakness 
• lower back conditions 
• arthritis 
• knee pain 
• swelling of feet and ankles 
• maintaining flexibility of the legs and hip joints as you age

However, most people are too tight in their hamstrings to do the pose like their teachers or the pictures they’ve seen, so some (not naming any names here) cheat by bending the knee of their top leg or by lifting their pelvis off the floor in order to bring their toe closer to their head.

Can you do it like this? (From "Moving Toward Balance," Rodney Yee with Nina Zolotow)

But while cheating may make you feel more flexible, bending your top knee means that you won’t be getting the full hamstring stretch that’s so beneficial. So the next time you do this pose (and it’s a great one to practice at home), use a strap or belt around the arch your foot and hold the right side of the strap in your right hand, the left in your left hand. Now be honest with yourself. Is your upper leg truly straight? And is your pelvis resting evenly on the ground? If not, let your leg go until your knee is straight, your pelvis is even, and your leg reaches its natural angle (90 degrees or less, even much less).

Using a strap. (From "Moving Toward Balance," Rodney Yee with Nina Zolotow)

That’s the acceptance part. The active engagement part is to stay in the pose for 45 to 90 seconds and to practice regularly. Although we can’t promise it, there’s a very good chance that over time this pose will increase your flexibility, making many other poses more comfortable and enhancing your physical health.

Some helpful variations:

• If your head and shoulders aren’t resting comfortably on the floor, use a folded blanket under your head. 
• If you are so tight that it’s hard to hold your leg with a strap, do the pose with the bottom leg extending through a doorway and your top foot resting on the wall next to the doorway. 
• If you want to strengthen your bottom leg as your stretch the top one, you can practice with your bottom foot pressing against a wall.

Cautions: If you have lower back issues, you may need to keep your bottom leg bent. If you have wrist issues, you may need to change the way you hold the strap.

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