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Asana Analysis: Reclined Hand-Foot Pose/Supta Padangusthasana
This is the seventh installment of Lisa’s Ansana Analysis series, reviewing various yoga postures, including instruction in anatomy and alignment of the pose. She has included “PT Notes” for physical therapists looking for ways to incorporate yoga postures into assessment and/or treatment of clients. The other installments in this series can be found on Lisa’s blog.
Reclined Hand-Foot/Supta Padangusthasana: I often refer to this as 3-Part Strap Stretch as it is rare that I don’t do (or instruct) all three variations in succession.
Variation A: Abduct the leg supported by the strap out to the side.
Variation B: Cross midline with the leg that is supported by the strap
Muscles Stretched: Hamstrings, gastrocnemius, all adductors (for variation A), gluteals, tenor fascia lata/ITB, piriformis, small external rotators (for variation B)
Points of Body Awareness:
*Are you holding the strap with as little effort as possible?
*The arms should be relaxed with the shoulders resting on the ground.
*Are you ‘grounding’ through the leg that remains on the floor? Press the back of that leg down into the earth and keep the ankle flexed (toes toward the nose).
*Lengthen the lifted leg. Feel yourself reaching through the bottom of the heel toward the ceiling.
*Is your lower back flat on the ground? Try to maintain a neutral spine in this pose, so there will be a small space between the lower back and the ground. If this is difficult to maintain, try lying on a small blanket to passively support the lumbar curve.
*When doing variation A, continue to ground the opposite leg. Do not allow the pelvis to roll toward the abducted leg.
*For variation B you can either let the pelvis roll away from the ground for a spinal twist or you can keep the pelvis more grounded, which will create more of a stretch in the muscles and soft tissues of the hip.
*Are you breathing slowly, fully and without restriction? Try to direct the breath to wherever you feel the greatest resistance to the stretch.
To Modify: Lie in a doorway and support the leg on the frame of the door instead of using strap. This is a good way to make this a ‘yin’ pose and to be able to hold the posture for 2-5 minutes. You can also use props such as bolsters, blocks or a wall to support the leg for a prolonged stretch in variations A and B.
PT Notes: I knew this as a supine hamstring stretch before I ever knew that it had a sanskrit name. But learning the subtle aspects that yoga brings to the pose make it more safe and effective. I have found that stretches work better if the patient learns By to breath and relax more while holding the stretch. This may not be the most practical way to stretch the hamstrings but I do think it is the most effective way.
I recently discovered that variation B can be a great stretch for mobilizing the sacral plexus. By anchoring the pelvis downward while simultaneously lengthening the leg upward, I personally feel an intensity in the sacral area that feels like a nerve glide (I suppose it’s possible that I’m actually just feeling a stretch of the piriformis origin but either way it’s an area I had not ever accessed before). Breathing deeply provides some degree of oscillation but it may be useful to add distal oscillations as well. I have not used this pose in this way with patients but I do teach it in my class and there is a wide variation on whether students ‘feel it’ and whether it is intense or mild.
See Yoga Journal for more details.
See previous Asana Analysis posts.
Lisa Minn is a licensed physical therapist and yoga enthusiast. She has been incorporating aspects of Yoga and Pilates into her physical therapy practice since 2001 and became a certified yoga instructor in 2004. Her experience ranges from working with athletes at West Point and Georgetown to instructing elderly and wheelchair-bound clients in the fundamentals of Hatha Yoga. Lisa has conducted several lectures and workshops across the US, as well as in Honduras and Peru, where she volunteered her services. She currently resides and practices in Northern California. This and other articles by Lisa can be found at The Pragmatic Yogi.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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