Supine toe touching

Supine toe touching

Kamala Venkat helps you stretch your legs and hips with the aid of Supta Padangusthasana your hand.) 

•  Keep your left leg straight down on the  mat and your left hand on the left thigh,  while your right leg is extended towards  

the ceiling. (It should be at 90 degrees or  if you are comfortable and flexible, you  can stretch your right leg more than 90  

degrees up to your face, depending on your  flexibility.) 

•  Stay in this pose for 10 to 20 seconds and do normal inhalation and exhalation. Then  

slowly release the fingers from your right  toe (or release the towel or belt) and bring  

Supta Padangusthasana is also known as Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose or Supine  Hand-to-Toe Pose. In Sanskrit, supta means  ‘reclining,’ pada means ‘foot,’ angustha means ‘big  toe,’ and asana means ‘pose.’  

Method  

•  You can start this pose by lying down on your  back, legs extended straight, and arms straight  by the side of your thighs. 

•  Exhale deeply and fold your right knee into  your chest. Then try to hook your right foot’s  big toe with your right-hand fingers.  

•  Then slowly extend your right leg up to the  ceiling. Simultaneously try to straighten your  arm by keeping your shoulders on the mat.  (While extending your leg, if you are not able  to reach your toe with your hand, you can use  a towel or a yoga belt to loop your foot and  hold both sides of the belt or the towel with  

your right leg back to the mat, keeping it  straight. 

•  Then repeat the same steps with the left leg  also. 

Benefits 

•  Creates traction in the lower back to relieve  compression and tension. 

•  Practising this pose gives a good stretch to  your hamstrings without putting stress on  your spine (as we are doing this pose by  lying on our back). 

•  Improves core muscle strength. 

•  Brings blood circulation towards the hip  and improves the flexibility in your hip and  lower back. 

Contraindications 

•  Ankle, hamstring, or knee injury •  Headache or high blood pressure