Featured Pose: Extended Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana)

by Baxter

Extended Side Angle pose is an excellent pose for strengthening both muscles and bones. This pose strengthens the muscles in your legs, all along the sides of your torso, and around your shoulder joints. When you hold the pose for at least 30 seconds, it strengthens the bones in your hips, spine, and wrists, which are the most bones that are commonly fractured, as well as your leg and arm bones.

This pose also increases flexibility in your hips and shoulders, and helps improve balance.. Because this pose is energizing, it can help enliven you when you're feeling tired or lethargic. And because it is grounding, it can be helpful for anxiety or stress.

Baxter prescribes this for:

• osteoporosis 
• balance problems 
• anxiety and stress
• general weakness and fatigue 

Timing: If you are a new practitioner or out of shape, hold the pose for 6 to 8 breaths. More experienced practitioners can work towards longer holds of 12 to 24 breaths (1-2 minutes). You can also do the pose dynamically, starting from a wide-legged stance, with front foot turned out and back foot turned in. Move into Warrior 2 pose on your inhalation, into Extended Side Angle pose on your exhalation, back to Warrior 2 pose on your inhalation, and back to your starting position on your exhalation.

Cautions: Those with knee issues/pain should start with the chair version (version 4) and use caution with the other variations. Those who have shoulder issues/pain when your arm overhead can place your top hand your hip instead.

1. Classic Version

 From Mountain pose, step your feet about 3 ½ to 4 feet apart. Turn your right foot and leg out 90 degrees and then turn your back foot in about 10 degrees, swiveling your hips slightly to the right, but keeping your chest even with the long edge of your mat. Next, on an inhalation, lift your arms out to your sides, even with your shoulders. Then on your exhalation, bend your right knee directly over your ankle toward 90 degrees. You are now in Warrior 2. Inhale, and then on your next exhalation, side bend over your right thigh, bringing your right hand to the floor just to the outside of the right shin as you swing your left arm up and alongside your head. Don’t turn your head upward, but keep it looking forward. . Press your right leg back towards your right arm and your right arm forward into your right leg.

Maintaining an even breath, keep your legs strong and your right knee aligned with your right ankle, lengthen all the way up from your left foot along the side of your body up to through left hand, keep your right arm strong to provide support, and encourage your belly and chest to rotate slightly upward. 

To come out of the pose, inhale and press down into your right foot as you straighten your right leg while you swing your torso up to vertical and bring your arms out to your sides. On your exhalation, lower your arms and turn your feet to parallel. Rest for 1-2 breaths and then repeat on the pose on the left side. 

2. Forearm on Thigh

Because many people cannot do the classic pose with their hand on the floor—whether due to stiffness in the hips or any other restrictions—this modification makes the classic pose accessible to almost everyone who can stand well unaided.

To come into the pose, follow the instructions for the classic pose until you reach the Warrior 2 position. From Warrior 2, bend your right arm as you side bend over your right leg, and place your forearm firmly on your thigh, near your knee. Press your forearm down as you lift your up right shoulder area and rotate your chest. To maintain the pose, follow the same cues we provided for the classic version. 

To come out the pose, follow the instructions for the classic version. Rest for 1-2 breaths and then repeat on the pose on the left side.

3. Hand on Block

If you can’t bring your hand to the floor as in the classic version but the version with your forearm on your thigh is very easy, this version is for you! Start with the block on its highest height, but if that’s still too easy for you, experiment with the medium and low heights to find what works best for you. 

To set up for the pose, start with your feet wide apart as in the classic version and place the block on its highest height just to the outside of your right foot. 

To come into the pose, follow the instructions for the classic version, bringing your hand to the block instead of down to the floor. To maintain the pose, follow the same cues we provided for the classic version.

To come out the pose, follow the instructions for the classic version. Rest for 1-2 breaths and then repeat on the pose on the left side.

4. On a Chair

This version is for those who have weak legs or knee or hip pain when bearing full weight on a bent knee, as well as those with balance problems. 

Start by placing the chair in the center of your mat, with front of the chair seat facing the long edge of your mat and the front legs just on the mat. Then, sit on the front edge of the chair seat, with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. 

To come into the pose, swing your right leg 90 degrees to the right, letting the chair seat support your right sitting bone and the back of your thigh, and extend your left leg to your left, a bit forward of your right leg. On an inhalation, bring your arms up and out to your sides, parallel with floor. 

On your exhalation, tip down, bend your elbow, and place your forearm firmly on your thigh, near your knee, as you bring your left arm up and alongside your head. 

To maintain the pose, follow the same cues we provided for the classic version. 

To come out of the pose, inhale and bring your torso back up to vertical and your arms out to your sides. On your exhalation, bend your left knee and bring both your legs together in front of you, and release your arms to your sides. Rest for 1-2 breaths and then repeat on the pose on the left side.

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Featured Pose: Extended Side Angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)

by Baxter

Extended Side Angle pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana) is one of my favorite poses. It improves your balance and strengthens your legs and the sides of your body, especially the side abdominal muscles on your top arm side. And when you hold the pose statically for up to a minute, it also encourages bone strengthening in your hips, spine, and bottom hand wrist. In addition to strengthening, this pose increases flexibility by stretching your inner thighs and the shoulder joint of your top arm. The variations described below make it accessible to almost everyone, as it can even be done on a chair. 

Because this pose is energizing, it can help enliven you when you're feeling tired or lethargic. And because it is grounding, it can be helpful for anxiety or stress.

I prescribe Extended Side Angle for:

• osteoporosis
• balance problems
• anxiety
• general weakness and fatigue

General Instructions:

1. Start by standing in the center of your mat.

2. Step your feet wide apart, about the length of your legs. Then turn your right foot out about 90 degrees and your left foot in slightly, so the pinky edge of your left foot lines up with the long edge of your yoga mat. 

3. Inhale and extend your arms out to your sides. 

4. Exhale and bend your right knee toward 90 degrees (but not further), making sure your right knee is aligned with the middle toe of your right foot. If it’s comfortable for you, turn your head to gaze over your right hand (essentially entering Warrior 2). 

5. Keeping your front knee directly over your front ankle, side-bend your torso and belly from your hips out over your front thigh, and place your right hand on the floor to the outside of the front foot or on a block that is snuggled up against your right shin. Try to keep the right and left sides of your chest even with each other, avoiding the tendency to round your spine like a bending sapling over the front leg. 

6. Keeping your hips stable, rotate your upper belly and chest slightly up away from your right leg. Bring your left arm overhead in line with your back leg and the side of your chest. 

Hand on the Floor

Using a Block

7. Traditionally, in this pose, your head (and gaze) turn up to look under your left armpit. But I also like to look straight ahead or turn my head to look down at my right foot. Stay in the pose for 30 seconds (8 breaths), working up to 90 seconds (approximately 16-20 breaths).

8. To come out of the pose, inhale as you straighten your right leg and use your left arm to swing your torso back to center, with your arms out to the side. Then, on exhalation, release your arms and turn your feet to parallel. Then repeat the pose on your left side.

Variations:

1. Tight Hips or General Weakness: For this variation, you stand with your feet a bit closer together than usual and then either use a chair for your bottom hand or place your elbow on top of your thighbone, near your knee, with your palm facing up. If you are using a chair, before entering the pose, place the chair so when you’re in the pose, it will be just to the outside of your front knee. 

2. Arm Strength: You can use this pose to build arm strength by keeping your arms up while you change from your right side to your left. 

3. Balance Problems: If you have balance problems, I recommend you use a wall. You can practice with your back to a wall, with the hip of your front leg touching the wall. Or, you can practice with your mat perpendicular to the wall, and your back foot against the wall. This is a good way to get a clear sense of the straightness of your back leg. Either position the entire outer edge of your back foot flush against the wall or have just your heel against the wall, with your back foot turned just slightly in. 

4. Shoulder Tightness: For those with shoulder tightness, taking the top arm overhead in line with your side body can be challenging at first. Instead, take your top arm straight up in the air, as in Triangle Pose. Then, gradually, over time, you can bring your arm closer to the full position.

5. Chair Version: For those who cannot stand to do this pose, start by sitting on a chair as you normally would. Then swing your right leg so it is parallel with the front edge of your chair and your right buttock and part of your right thigh are supported on the chair seat. Then extend your left leg back away from the right, as in the full version of the pose. If your left hip is tight, you can move your left leg a bit forward of the chair to make sure the sole of your left foot is grounded. Inhale your arms up to your sides, and and then side-bend over your right leg, placing your right elbow in your right thigh, palm facing up. For this variation, take the left arm up towards the sky as in Triangle pose. If your shoulders are more open, you can move your left arm in line with your side body and back leg. To come out of the pose, inhale as you bring your torso back over your hips and your arms to your sides. Then, exhale and release your arms down and swing both legs to your starting seated position. Repeat on the other side.  

Cautions: If you have knee problems, don’t bend your front knee quite as deeply. Make sure it stops just shy of being over your front ankle. In addition, standing with your feet a bit closer than the 4 to 4 1/2 feet apart can also help. And if your knee is acutely painful, you could sit on a chair with your front thigh supported by the chair seat. This will take all weight off your front knee. Those with lower back pain on one side or sacroiliac pain on one side should try the higher versions described above for hip tightness. And, as with all held standing poses, those with high blood pressure should stay for much shorter periods of time, such as 4-6 breaths. You should work with a qualified teacher to advance your timings appropriately.

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