The Extended Side Angle Pose in Yoga
- Focus: Ankles and Knees
- Level: Intermediate
- Total Time: 60 seconds
- Indications: menstrual pains and infertility (women), constipation, sciatica
- Contraindications: blood pressure (high or low), insomnia, headache, modification for neck injury
How to Do Extended Side Angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)
The extended side angle focuses on building strength and stretching your legs but can also bring therapeutic benefits to your back. For women, this pose can relieve menstrual pains and infertility. It can open your chest, abdomen, shoulders and lungs. Beginners may find it helpful to perform this pose with the extended foot up against a wall to prevent sliding. If you suffer from blood pressure problems, insomnia or headaches you should avoid the extended side angle. If you suffer from neck problems or neck injury you should avoid turning your head upwards; instead, look straight ahead or down at the ground.
- Begin in mountain pose. Stand tall and straight, this time with your feet separated by about three feet. Establish a solid connection with the ground by shifting your weight distribution so that it is equally divided between the base of your big toes, the base of your little toes, and both left and right sides of your heels.
- Raise your arms out to your sides with your palms facing down; reach straight out through the tips of your fingers, keeping your shoulders broad and low.
- Turn your left foot slightly to the right and turn your right foot out 90 degrees, even as you rotate your right leg outward until the top or your knee is straight out toward your right toes. Roll your left hip a little bit to the right, but keep your torso straight ahead.
- Press your left heel into the ground by raising your inner left groin into your abdomen. Breathe out and bend your right knee over your right ankle. Let your knee extend toward your toes but never beyond them.
Keep your chest open and your shoulders back. Reach your left arm toward the sky with your palm facing to the right. Tuck your hips slightly under you. - Elongate the entire left side of your body to stretch from your left heel all the way up to your fingertips. Keeping your left heel on the ground, breathe out as you stretch to the right, reaching with the tips of your left fingers. Let your right arm relax straight downward, lowering in front of your right leg.
- Let your left side continue to stretch to the right, lowering your torso toward your right thigh. Keep your hips tucked under and the tops of your shoulders vertical. Resist the tendency to turn your left shoulder forward by pressing the back of your right arm against your thigh. Stretch as far as your body will take you without turning. If your right hand can reach the floor, press your fingertips down, just beside your right instep.
- Continue to stretch out your left side for several breaths. Then, breathe in, push up with your right hand on your thigh as you straighten your right leg and raise your torso back up, letting your arms lower to your sides
Return to mountain pose. Stand tall and straight with your feet separated enough to feel stable. Establish a solid connection with the ground by shifting your weight distribution so that it is equally divided between the base of your big toes, the base of your little toes, and both left and right sides of your heels. - Repeat this entire process, this time stretching to your left side.
The Leg Stretch Pose in Yoga
- Starting on all fours with a neutral spine, point your right toes, straighten your right leg behind you, and raise it toward the sky and hold this position for a few seconds.
- With your leg in the air, slowly flex your foot and hold the position for a few seconds.
- Relax your foot and return your leg to the starting position.
- Repeat this stretch with the left leg.
Now, stand up and end your warm-up session with the goddess pose stretch.
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TOP YOGA MCQs Questions and Answers
1 Who is believed to be the father of Yoga?
A Krishnamacharya
B Gautam Buddha
C Maharshi PatanjaliAdi
D Shankaracharya
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2 Yoga has eight components, also known as the eight fold path of life — Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Dhyana, Samadhi are five of them. Which are the other three?
A Savichar, Santosa, Tapas
B Asteya, Aparigraha, Brahmacharya
C Ananda, Asmita, Aachaar
D Yama, Dharana, Pratyahara
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3 The word “Yoga” comes for Sanskrit. What is the literal meaning of this word?
A Hindu system of philosophy & meditation
B Inner peace & tranquility
C Joining together
D Controlled breathing
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4 Over time, many new postures have been added to the original compendium of Asanas that yoga started with to incorporate modern day fitness requirements. How many classic Asanas were enlisted in the initial texts?
A 84
B 108
C 33
D 195
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5 Surya Namaskar is considered to be a complete exercise for the body and has often been cited as a combination of Asanas that helps in stretching almost all the major muscles. How many different Asanas does Surya Namaskar comprise of?
A 12
B 7
C 10
D 8
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6 Yoga has many practitioners in the West and several Hollywood celebrities such as Adam Levine and Julia Roberts have endorsed it. Indra Devi is credited with introducing Yoga to the West. Which country did she belong to?
A Nepal
B Russian
C India
D USA
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7 An Indian youth organisation entered the Limca Book of Records for simultaneously performing Yoga for the longest duration. Which organisation was this?
A NSS
B Girl Scouts
C LTS
D NCC
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8 Bharat Thakur is an internationally renowned name in the field of yoga instructors and a celebrity in his own right. Which new field of yoga did he lay the foundation for?
A Ashtang Yoga
B Hatha Yoga
C Sahaja Yoga
D Artistic Yoga
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9 Now to some yoga-related fun questions! Recently, a photo of the very hot, very happening Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doing Mayurasana went viral. Around 40 years back another world leader struck a similar pose, alas there was no social media he could go viral on. Who was he?
A Richard Nixon
B Pierre Trudeau
B Harold Wilson
B Georges Pompidou
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10 In the popular TV series Friends, one of the main characters is seen talking to Mr. Treeger, the superintendent of Monica’s building, about attending Yoga classes. Which character is this?
A Ross
B Phoebe
C Monica
D Mike
Answer ⇒ ????