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Exercise guide
Extended Side Angle Pose
A wide-stance standing pose with the front knee bent and the torso extended over the front thigh, so one long line runs from the back heel to the top hand.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- obliques · quadriceps · adductors · gluteus medius
- Goals
- endurance · strength
- Equipment
- No equipment
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Demonstration
Step 1
How to perform the movement
- Stand wide with the front foot turned out and the back foot angled slightly in.
- Bend the front knee until it stacks over the ankle and keep the back leg straight.
- Rest the front forearm on the thigh, or the hand on the floor or a block, and reach the top arm over the ear.
- Hold the position for the prescribed time, turning the chest towards the ceiling.
- Straighten the front leg to come up and repeat on the other side.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Press the outer edge of the back foot down; the pose loses its base as soon as that heel lifts.
- Keep the front knee pointing at the middle toes rather than drifting inwards.
- Take the forearm on the thigh instead of the hand on the floor to keep the chest open.