Parsvottanasana: Intense Side Stretch Pose

Parsvottanasana: Intense Side Stretch Pose

From lengthening the spine to stretching the legs to calming the mind, there’s a little bit of everything in parsvottanasana (parsh-voh-tahn-AHS-ah-nah) Also known as intense side stretch pose or pyramid pose, this shape is helpful for finding balance while stretching hamstrings.

Parsvottanasana requires a combination of flexibility, strength, and patience. With the help of props such as blocks or a wall, this pose becomes accessible for everyone.

ADJUSTMENTS/MODIFICATIONS:

  • Blocks: Place hands on blocks to help keep the torso long.
  • Wall: Place hands on a wall in front of you to work on strengthening the muscles of the back.
  • Heart opening variation: Take the hands in reverse prayer position behind the back to stretch and open your shoulders and chest while also challenging your balance. If reverse prayer isn’t accessible, you can still bring the arms behind the back, reaching for opposite elbows instead.
  • Adjust your stance: If the back heel is lifted off of the floor, shorten the stance so you can push through the heel to activate the back leg. For more stability, widen your stance.

STEP-BY-STEP:

  1. From the top of your mat, step your left foot back about one legs length. Keep your right foot pointing forward and adjust your back foot so that it turns out at a 45 degree angle. Draw a straight line from your front heel to your back heel and make sure that the middle of your right knee lines up right over the middle of your right ankle.
  2. Begin to turn your torso forward, aligning your chest, shoulders, and ribs with the front of your mat. Ground through your back heel as you rotate the upper inner thighs of both legs back. Broaden across your collar bones as you draw your shoulder blades down and in towards your spine.
  3. With a long spine, hinge from your hips so that your torso moves closer toward your front leg. Once your spine is level with the floor, place your hands on either side of the front foot, either on the ground or on blocks.
  4. Engage your thighs and keep your sternum lifted and shining forward.
  5. For balance, use the base of the big toe and the inner part of the heel of your front foot like a magnet with the floor. Continue grounding through the heel of your back foot, ensuring that your thigh stays active so that you don’t lock your knee.
  6. If you have the flexibility to fold forward more while keeping the front and back of the torso long, start to bring the chest and belly towards the thigh.
  7. Stay in the posture for up to 30 seconds before rising back up. Release the posture and practice on the other side.

PREPARATORY POSES:

SEQUENTIAL POSES:

  • Revolved triangle | Parivrtta trikonasana
  • Warrior I | Virabhadrasana I
  • Standing splits | Urdvha prasarita eka padasana

COUNTER POSES:

SANSKRIT:

  • Parsva = side
  • Ut = intense
  • Tan = stretch, extend
  • Asana = pose

PHYSICAL BENEFITS:

  • Stretches hips and hamstrings.
  • Strengthens leg muscles.
  • Thought to help stimulate digestion.


Prasarita Padottanasana: Standing Wide-Legged Forward Bend Pose

Prasarita Padottanasana: Standing Wide-Legged Forward Bend Pose

ADJUSTMENTS    |     BENEFITS    |     SEQUENCING    |     SANSKRIT    |     STEPS

Prasarita padottanasana (pra-sa-REE-tah pah-doh-tahn-AHS-an-uh) is a big stretch for the hamstrings and inner leg line. With many variations available, this pose is accessible for most practitioners. This is also a great pose in lieu of headstand.

Philosophy + Origin

Prasarita padottanasana has found its way into almost every style of yoga. B.K.S. Iyengar taught several variations of this posture, labeling them as A, B, C, and D. The most commonly practiced variation is prasarita padottanasana A. Prasarita padottanasana B is when the hands are on the hips and the head is lifted off the ground, not resting on the mat. Prasarita padottanasana C is the variation where the hands are interlaced and stretched behind the back and over the head as you fold. In the final variation taught by Iyengar, prasarita padottanasana D asks the student to grasp the big toe on each foot.

Read Article

More In Focus

Our unique blend of yoga, meditation, personal transformation, and alternative healing content is designed for those seeking to not just enhance their physical, spiritual, and intellectual capabilities, but to fuse them in the knowledge that the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.


Use the same account and membership for TV, desktop, and all mobile devices. Plus you can download videos to your device to watch offline later.

Desktop, laptop, tablet, phone devices with Gaia content on screens

Discover what Gaia has to offer.

The video streaming platform exploring Focus, and Yoga Poses

Testing message will be here

Discover what Gaia has to offer.

Testing message will be here