Video loading...
Standing Split (Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana)
- Begin in a modified Adho Mukha Svanasanawith the heels up the wall and the knees bent
- Step the right foot forward between the hands so the toes are in line with the fingertips.
- Place the left foot at the wall at hip height
- Pin the right hip back and in to even the two sides of the waist
- Roll the left outer hip forward to square the hips
- Maintaining these actions and alignment, start to inch the left foot up the wall while inching the right foot back towards the wall
- Mindfully continue moving the pelvis closer and closer to the wall as the left foot travels up the wall and the right foot and hands move closer
- Maintain the neutrality of the legs by pressing into the right big toe mound and spinning the left inner thigh to the ceiling while rotating the left outer hip forward
- Keep moving back until the back of the right thigh and the front of the left thigh come to the wall; the hands can frame the front foot or be slightly forward
- Continue to insist on two sides of the pelvis and torso remaining even and the legs remaining neutral; the back thigh tends to externally rotate so keep spinning the inner thigh to the ceiling
- Hold for 10–12 breaths, then exit by reversing the entrance, returning to the modified Downward-Facing Dog Pose.
- Repeat on the other side