Extended Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana)

Extended-Side-Angle-Pose-foot-HealthThe steep angles of Extended Side Angle Pose help to stretch muscles in the outer edge of your feet. It also helps to distribute weight along your feet, allowing you to massage your feet through the use of pressure and weight. The goal is to use your arms to counterbalance your lower body so that you can stretch diagonally across the body. This counter-balancing applies unique types of pressure to your lower legs.

  • Begin in mountain pose. Bring your hands to your hips, step your feet wide apart, and turn your right foot out. Rotate your left foot slightly inwards to the right, and make sure that your heels are aligned. Bend your right knee so that your shin makes a 90-degree angle with the floor and your knee is directly over your foot. Next, bend your right elbow and place your forearm on your right thigh, palm up, with your forearm parallel to the floor, stretching your torso. Stretch your left arm up over your head, palm facing the floor, to form a line from the outside of your left foot up towards your fingertips. Hold this pose for 30 seconds to a minute. Repeat on the other side.
  • Depending on your personal ability, you can make the pose more difficult by lowering your body and placing your hand on a block or on the floor, rather than bent at the elbow and rested on your bent leg. 
  •