Ease into Effort

Combining effort and surrender can seem impossible until you try Supta Padangusthasana.

By Jason Crandell

Tweak Your Technique
Once you've achieved the shape of the pose, you might relax so much that you fade into a partially conscious, vaguely present state. Or you might focus intensely on your top leg. Rather than zoning out or limiting your attention to the sensations in the back of your leg, keep your mind present and spread your attention throughout your body. You can encourage this attentive state by refining the pose.

First, ground the back of your bottom thigh again. To make this easier, roll the front rim of your pelvis toward your legs until your lower back arches slightly off the floor. Next, feel both legs working in tandem. As the bottom leg roots down, see if you can feel your top leg soar up. Articulate both feet, spreading across the balls of each, and feel their complex architecture awaken. Fill your body with smooth, nourishing breath.

Now that your body is fully awake, you can try cultivating relaxation. Keep the back of your neck long and the front of your throat soft. Relax your temples, loosen your jaw, and release your tongue. Hold the belt with just the effort needed to support the pose. Imagine the backs of your legs as lung tissue and feel the soft, smooth undulations of your breath in your hamstrings. Stay for 10 to 20 breaths.

Stage Two: Lengthen Your Legs
The second version of Reclining Big Toe Pose cultivates suppleness in your inner legs and groin, and mimics the action of your legs in standing poses such as Triangle, Warrior II, Half Moon, and Extended Side Angle Pose. It also gives you another chance to combine alertness and relaxation because the new shape will elicit different sensations in your body.

You may be able to do the pose without the support of a block, but it's helpful to learn it with a prop. The block helps maintain evenness in your pelvis by preventing the opposite hip from lifting off the ground. When your pelvis remains stable, you're more likely to feel the stretch where it's intended—in the inner right groin.

So, slide a block, bolster, or rolled blanket underneath your outer right hip. Then slowly reach your leg out to the side until your outer thigh rests against the prop. Imagine an inseam running from your inner groin to the inside of your foot and reach your foot farther and farther away from your inner groin to increase the length of your leg. Imagine that if you wear a size 32 length pant, you're increasing it to a size 33 or even a 34. As you maintain this expansion keep your eyes, jaw, tongue, and throat soft.

Now, imagine a heavy weight on your bottom leg, and lower the back of the thigh toward the floor. If you've started to flatten your lower back and tuck your tailbone, retilt the front rim of your pelvis toward your thighs until your lower back lifts off the floor. After 10 to 20 breaths, exhale and draw your right leg to vertical, coming back to stage one.

Stage Three: Add Your Abs
In this phase, you'll be adding more effort. Gently firm your abdominal wall by drawing your belly toward your spine. Reach vigorously through your bottom leg as you peel your upper back and head off the floor and lift them toward your top leg. It's easier to lift your head than your torso, but don't jut your chin forward and lift your head more than your chest. Instead, lift your chest to its maximum height and keep your head directly above your shoulders.

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