From the moment I began teaching Yoga to complete beginners I discovered two things, 1) most people starting out on their Yoga journey have tight hamstrings and 2) a surprising number of people show up to Yoga class with preexisting back problems. While the explorations in this asana column are interesting from a developmental point of view, the variations shown are all with straight legs. If when you extend your leg into Supta Padangusthasana on the right side your thigh is not at 90° or more, it’s very important to keep the left leg in Constructive Rest Position. Here’s why. If your right leg is at say at 60°, you are likely to be using a yoga belt wrapped around the foot. And if you are pulling on that yoga belt, what you’ll be doing is pulling your femur into the pelvis, hiking the pelvis up on that side toward your shoulder, and probably compressing and rotating your lower back. This is not an effective way to release your hamstrings and it has the added disadvantage of playing havoc with the lumbar spine.

I have written extensively about how to practice the entire Supta Padangusthasana series with one leg bent in Pathways to a Centered Body co-authored with Leila Stuart. For those of you who do not have the book, I have reprinted the series below. You’ll see that there is a strong emphasis on pelvic stabilization being maintained while opening the hip. Regardless of how tight or flexible your hamstrings are, working with a focus on pelvic stability radically changes the means and the outcome of doing this posture, so take some time to familiarize yourself with the series. Pay special attention to how you practice Variation B with the hip turned outward. Many people, regardless of their experience, simply allow the extended leg to fall to the side, such that the weight of the leg acts as a heavy lever on the sacroiliac joints. Notice that I am actively engaging my core muscles to support the leg.

At the end of the series, I have added an advanced variation of the rotated version of Supta Padangusthasana, which I believe is safer for the sacroiliac joint than variations pictured with straight legs.

Mobilizing the Hips: Supine Big Toe Pose (Supta Panangusthasana)

Why
This is one of the easiest and most beneficial movement sequences you can do throughout your life to maintain healthy hips, good posture, and a happy spine. Because the movement is practiced supine, it takes little energy and can be a relaxing way to start or finish your day.

How
Variation A with Hip Flexion: Lie in CRP. On an exhalation, bend your right knee and bring your right leg toward your chest. Hold the back of the thigh or bring your hands around your shin. Take several breaths, allowing the leg to make small excursions away from the chest (on the inhalation) and toward the chest (on the exhalation). Once you have synchronized your movement with your breath, slowly straighten the right leg placing the belt around the ball of the foot (Fig. 7). If your thigh is not at 90° or more, bend the thigh just enough to bring the leg beyond the perpendicular to the floor. Keep your thigh at this angle as you attempt to straighten the leg. You will feel a strong sensation down the back of the leg whether or not you straighten the leg completely. With each exhalation invite the leg to come closer to the chest, and on your inhalation, allow the leg to subtly retract. This subtle oscillation of the leg is supported by the breath and is qualitatively different than ‘bouncing’ during the stretch or pulling on your leg. Stay for at least 1 minute.

Variation B with Hip Turned Outward: Adjust the belt so that it is now wrapped around the arch of the right foot. Now turn your right leg outward noting the direction in which your toes are pointing. Draw the right leg in the direction in which the toes are pointing, maintaining the stable position of your pelvis. If the adductors are very tight, don't hesitate to bend the right leg slightly. Simultaneously, draw the left leg into your chest and open the knee out to the left side so that both thighs are at exactly the same angle. Rest your left hand on your left knee and check that the navel is centered and both buttocks are equally weighted on the floor (Fig. 8). Stay for at least 1 minute.

Variation D at the Wall: Lie down in CRP so that your buttocks are about 30 centimeters (1 foot) away from a wall. Bring your left foot up onto the wall so that your leg forms a right angle. Now draw the right leg in toward the chest and turn the knee outward, placing the ankle across the top of the left thigh. Flex the foot so that the ankle is stable, which will prevent the knee from twisting. Maintain the flexion of the foot as 9 10 you gently guide the right knee away from your chest toward the wall Press the left foot firmly into the wall as you continue to stay in the stretch. This is the opening that is required to do Lotus Pose (Padmasana), but it must be accomplished without twisting the ankle (supination) so that the external rotation takes place in the hip socket and not in the knee. You can practice this pose with arms down by the sides or with the arms extended diagonally over the head. (Fig. 10). Extending the arms will switch on the core muscles. Stay for at least 1 minute.

Variation E with a Belt: This variation takes a little experimentation, but it can be a fantastic means of feeling your core muscles stabilize your pelvis while you open your hips. It is a strong variation, however, so progress to it only after you have comfortably practiced the previous variations. If you have sacroiliac dysfunction or very tight hip flexors, this version may not be suitable for you. Start in CRP and proceed as in Variation D but without the use of the wall. Make a lasso with your yoga belt so that it wraps around the outside of your right knee, the ball of the left foot, and the sole of your right foot. Keeping your left leg at a right angle, press the left foot into the belt, tightening the belt further so that you feel the right hip opening (Fig. 11). Maintain the perpendicular position of  your left leg throughout the movement. Once you have established this position, experiment with bringing your arms out to the sides in line with your shoulders. Raise your arms off the floor. As you do this, you will feel your core muscles engaging more strongly to stabilize the pelvis. If you want an even stronger core engagement, extend your arms diagonally over the head (Fig. 12).

Only practice these variations if you can do so without arching through your lower back. Stay for at least 1 minute and then release and begin the whole sequence on your other side.

Variation F: Advanced Variation with Hip Turned Inward: In many Yoga traditions Supta Padangusthasana is practiced as a series with hip flexed, rotated outward and then rotated inward. When the posture is practiced with one leg bent, or one leg straight, the inward rotated variation puts tremendous torque on the sacroiliac joints (Fig. 13). While I used to enjoy practicing the posture in this way, I’m convinced that this is one of the practices that cause destabilization of the sacroiliac joint and here’s why. Once the right leg touches the floor the position of the pelvis is relatively fixed. The pelvis and sacrum are rotated to the left. The pelvis is rotated more than 90° to the left and that the right ilium is shunted past the sacrum. As the right shoulder and the spinal column counterrotates to the right, this creates a corkscrew action at the level of the top of the sacrum (S1, 2 & 3) and the lower lumbar spine. There is very limited rotation of the lumbar vertebrae, so any twist that does not allow the pelvis, sacrum, and lumbar spine to move to some degree in the direction of the twisting action (to the right) will tend to force the sacrum to shift between the two ilia. The tremendous leverage of the extended right leg also tends to overstretch the SIJ ligaments on the right side. For these reasons I no longer practice or teach the posture this way.

This alternative variation was inspired by a variation first shown to me by Erich Schiffmann. It is an advanced variation not suitable for a beginner.

Here’s How: From Variation A, extend the right leg holding on to the big toe with the index and third fingers of your right hand. Now bend your right leg and roll completely onto your left side (Fig. 14). Place the right knee on a bolster and change the hand clasp so that you are now holding onto the right foot with your left hand. If you are unable to grasp the foot, place your hand on the outside of the knee. Slowly bend the left leg and take hold of the foot with the right hand. Holding the foot firmly, extend the foot away from the buttock (Fig. 15).

This will help to activate the hamstring muscles at the base of the pelvis, which indirectly can help to stabilize the SI joint on that side. The attachment of the hamstrings and the sacrotuberous ligament are in communication with each other. Simultaneously, press the outside of the right thigh upwards, as if against resistance. This action will help to stabilize the right side of the SI joint. Notice that in this variation the two sides of the pelvis and sacrum are in one plane, and at right angles to the ground. Instead of pushing the right knee toward the floor and passively stretching the thigh, you are actively containing the three bones of the pelvis (ilium, sacrum, ilium) while actively opening the hip joint.

The net sum of these actions is there should be little or no torque in the SI joint. The ‘opening’ is within the hip sockets, the front of the left thigh, and the lateral band of the right thigh. If you are not sure about the difference between practicing with one leg straight and Variation F, go back to the earlier variation (Fig. 13) and tune into where you are feeling the sensation in your body. You may notice that there is a strong sensation around the SI joint itself and the ligaments containing (or trying to contain) the snugness of the joint. Then practice Variation F and see if you can distinguish the way in which the variation shifts the opening from the SI joint to the hip joint itself. It’s subtle, but an important distinction that can help to prevent serious future issues with your sacroiliac joint.

This article follows and supplements the original post which was first published between 1988 and 2003 when Donna was writing full-length feature articles for Yoga Journal and Yoga International USA. 

New Insights’ images 7-12 by Murray Irwin, Christchurch, from the book Pathways to a Centered Body by Donna Farhi and Leila Stuart. Additional photography also by Nicholas Lyttle.  All material © 2023 Donna Farhi. 

The re-curated originals will be followed by New Insights such as this post, where Donna shares what's changed after more than three decades of teaching internationally. This material is being offered for free for the first time as a service during Donna's sabbatical. 

Thanks to Julieanne Moore for her patience and dedicated work as our model. 

An occasional bonus Feature article will also be published. 

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