Asana · Practise on your own
Supta Padangusthasana A
Reclining hand-to-big-toe pose A
Reclining hand-to-big-toe pose, first variation. Lying down, one leg raised and held by the big toe.
Awaiting subject reviewWritten from our source material and not yet checked by a teacher of this practice. Read it as reference, and learn the practice from someone who teaches it.
- Meaning
- supta = reclined, pada = foot, angustha = big toe, asana = seat or posture
- Family
- Reclining forward bend
- Level
- Beginner
- Gaze
- Toe
Take care
Keep the lower leg long on the floor. Leave out the chest lift with neck pain.
How it is done
- 1
Breathe in
Lie on the back. Lift the right leg and hold the big toe with the right hand. Left hand on the left thigh.
- 2
Breathe out
Draw the leg toward you. In the Ashtanga form, lift the chest toward the shin. Stay for five breaths.
Holding it
Five breaths on each side.
Making it easier
Loop a strap round the foot and keep the head down.
What the tradition says it does
- Stretches the hamstrings without load on the low back
A note on the tradition
The manual names three stages, A to C. Many Ashtanga teachers count two; the third here is a commonly taught cross-body stage and awaits subject review.
Variations
Sources and tradition
- YOG Union App Content Map, 2 November 2026, p. 4
- Ashtanga Primary Series as commonly taught in the Mysore style; sequence order and counts await subject review