Asana · Practise on your own
Supta Padangusthasana C
Reclining hand-to-big-toe pose C
Reclining hand-to-big-toe pose, third variation. The held leg crosses over the body into a twist.
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 twist
- Level
- Beginner
- Gaze
- To the side, away from the crossed leg
Take care
Keep both shoulders heavy on the floor.
How it is done
- 1
Breathe out
Take the right foot in the left hand and lower the leg across the body toward the floor.
- 2
Breathe freely
Open the right arm and look to the right. Stay for five breaths, then return to the centre and repeat the stages on the left.
Holding it
Five breaths on each side.
Making it easier
Bend the crossing knee, or use a strap.
What the tradition says it does
- Rotates the spine
- Stretches the outer hip
A note on the tradition
This stage is not counted in every Ashtanga lineage. It is included because the manual names a third stage; awaiting 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