You can also press the raised foot against a wall. To support the lifted leg as you gain strength and flexibility, rest your raised foot along the top edge of a chair, table, or ballet barre. Keep the raised leg at that height, then straighten the front leg again. Then lift your raised leg slightly higher. To gradually deepen the pose, bend your standing leg. More flexible students can clasp the outer ankle of the standing leg with the opposite-side hand. If your hands don't rest easily on the floor, place each hand on a yoga block. Try these simple changes to find a variation of the pose that works for you: Remember to take it slowly and never force the pose. If your hamstrings are tight, this pose may seem like an impossible dream! But with practice and patience, your hamstrings will become more flexible. ![]() Standing Split is a powerful stretch when practiced correctly. Repeat the pose on the other side, for the same amount of time. Then, slowly lower your left leg to the floor, coming back into Uttanasana. ![]() Keep the knee and foot of your standing leg facing directly forward. Internally rotate your left thigh, and square your hips toward the floor (doing so may require you to lower your left leg a bit). Walk your hands back (in the direction of your standing heel) to deepen the stretch, and draw your torso closer to your right leg. Then, raise your left leg up as high as you can behind you. Shift your weight onto your right foot and equally across both hands. Bring both hands to the floor and straighten your legs. Exhale and bend at the hips, coming into Standing Forward Fold ( Uttanasana). Draw your awareness inward and focus on the present moment. Let your breath become steady and rhythmic. If you have any medical concerns, talk with your doctor before practicing yoga.īegin standing in Mountain Pose ( Tadasana) with your arms at your sides. Always work within your own range of limits and abilities. This helps to improve memory and concentration, and relieve stress.ĭo not practice Standing Split if you have a recent or chronic ankle, knee, or low back injury. The increased flow of blood to the brain calms the nervous system. It holds the benefits of other inversions, including relief from headaches, anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, and mild depression. Since your heart is above your head in this pose, it is considered a mild inversion (less intense than other inversions, like Headstand). Supporting your body's weight on one leg, while upside-down, will greatly challenge and improve your balance. It strengthens the thighs, knees, and ankles, and also stretches the groin muscles. Standing Split stretches the whole back side of the body, particularly the hamstrings and calves. Sun Salutations A, B, and C are all great sequences to begin to prepare your legs for Standing Split (see Tips, below, for more pose suggestions!). ![]() It's important to warm up your hamstrings before practicing this pose. This essentially translates to "One Foot Expanding Upward Pose." However, it is most commonly referred to simply as "Standing Split." "Prasarita" - meaning "spread" or "expanded" ![]() The Sanskrit name for this pose, "Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana" (OORD-vah prah-suh-REE-tuh EK-uh pahd-AHS-uh-nuh), comes from five words: This pose is also a common preparatory position for the front-to-back split pose done on the floor, which is known as Monkey Pose (called "Hanumanasana" in Sanskrit). Standing Split is an intermediate yoga pose that stretches your legs and hips while challenging your balance.
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