How to Do the Revolved Head to Knee Pose in Yoga
Sit in the center of your mat., Lean back slightly., Open your legs as wide as comfortable., Tuck your left foot into your thigh., Lean your body to the right., Grab your right foot with your right hand., Reach your left hand over your head., Twist...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Sit in the center of your mat.
Make sure you are sitting up with your torso straight.
Extend your legs directly in front of you and point your toes upwards.
Your heels should be near the edge of your mat., Place your hands on the floor behind you and let your upper body angle slightly backwards.
Be sure to keep your torso firm and your upper body straight., Ideally, you should work to opening your legs to a 90-degree angle with your pelvis as the apex.
Be sure that the tops of your kneecaps and your toes are pointing straight upwards.
Flex your feet and press your legs into the floor.
If you can, stretch your legs beyond 90-degrees for a greater challenge.As you stretch your legs out wide, make sure to flex your thigh muscles and keep your legs pressed down toward the floor. , Bend your left leg so that the heel is tucked into the inside of your left thigh.
Once there, extend your foot so that the left sole is resting on the inside of your right thigh., Slide your right hand along your inner right leg, keeping your palm facing up towards your toes.
Keep your right shoulder blade pressed against the inside of your right knee and your forearm resting on the floor.
As you lean, make sure you exhale., Do this so that the sole of your foot is held by your fingers, while the top is held with your thumb.
As you reach forward, make sure you keep your right knee extended.
The back of your shoulder should stay connected to your inner knee.
Once your knee is straight, twist your torso toward the ceiling. , Point the fingers of your left hand up towards the ceiling, then reach towards your right foot so that your left arm is directly over your left ear.
Grab the outer edge of your right foot with your left hand.
Make sure to inhale as you reach your arm over your head.
Once you are in this position, turn your head to look towards the ceiling, and hold the pose for a minute.If looking toward the ceiling hurts your neck, keep your gaze forward instead., Pull your left shoulder back to open up your chest further.
Make sure your left thigh bone stays firmly planted on the floor.
Make sure you lengthen your front torso each time you inhale, and twist deeper when you exhale.
Once you have reached as far as you can, hold the position for 30 seconds.You can press your elbows away from one another, which should help you twist further., To untwist yourself, inhale and reach your left fingers up toward the ceiling, then release the arm back down to your side while exhaling.Untwist your torso, and bring it up so that it is aligned between your legs.
Then re-extend your left leg back out next to your right leg.You should not come up directly from the twisted position.
Make sure you untwist your torso before sitting upright., Once you have returned to your original position, swap the instructions for your other side.
This will let you stretch out the muscles on both sides of your to body., To make this exercise easier, place a rolled up blanket or yoga mat under the knee of your extended leg.
This will reduce the stretch on your lower back and hamstrings, especially if they are tight, or not as warmed up as you might like., If you have difficulty reaching, or comfortably grabbing, your extended foot, use a yoga strap.
Wrap it around your extended leg and hold that with one or both hands.Using the strap can also be a good way keep your torso long and straight. , Once you have gotten your left arm over your head, reach your right hand under your torso to grab your left knee.
This will help you get an even deeper twist to your torso., After doing the exercise for a while, you may find it quite easy to reach your foot.
If that is the case, you can deepen the pose by placing a block at the sole of your extended foot.
Now, when you extend your arms, reach out and grab the block instead. -
Step 2: Lean back slightly.
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Step 3: Open your legs as wide as comfortable.
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Step 4: Tuck your left foot into your thigh.
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Step 5: Lean your body to the right.
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Step 6: Grab your right foot with your right hand.
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Step 7: Reach your left hand over your head.
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Step 8: Twist your upper torso.
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Step 9: Release the position.
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Step 10: Repeat the pose on the opposite side.
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Step 11: Place a blanket under your knee.
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Step 12: Hold your foot with a yoga strap.
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Step 13: Reach your bottom arm to the opposite knee.
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Step 14: Use a block.
Detailed Guide
Make sure you are sitting up with your torso straight.
Extend your legs directly in front of you and point your toes upwards.
Your heels should be near the edge of your mat., Place your hands on the floor behind you and let your upper body angle slightly backwards.
Be sure to keep your torso firm and your upper body straight., Ideally, you should work to opening your legs to a 90-degree angle with your pelvis as the apex.
Be sure that the tops of your kneecaps and your toes are pointing straight upwards.
Flex your feet and press your legs into the floor.
If you can, stretch your legs beyond 90-degrees for a greater challenge.As you stretch your legs out wide, make sure to flex your thigh muscles and keep your legs pressed down toward the floor. , Bend your left leg so that the heel is tucked into the inside of your left thigh.
Once there, extend your foot so that the left sole is resting on the inside of your right thigh., Slide your right hand along your inner right leg, keeping your palm facing up towards your toes.
Keep your right shoulder blade pressed against the inside of your right knee and your forearm resting on the floor.
As you lean, make sure you exhale., Do this so that the sole of your foot is held by your fingers, while the top is held with your thumb.
As you reach forward, make sure you keep your right knee extended.
The back of your shoulder should stay connected to your inner knee.
Once your knee is straight, twist your torso toward the ceiling. , Point the fingers of your left hand up towards the ceiling, then reach towards your right foot so that your left arm is directly over your left ear.
Grab the outer edge of your right foot with your left hand.
Make sure to inhale as you reach your arm over your head.
Once you are in this position, turn your head to look towards the ceiling, and hold the pose for a minute.If looking toward the ceiling hurts your neck, keep your gaze forward instead., Pull your left shoulder back to open up your chest further.
Make sure your left thigh bone stays firmly planted on the floor.
Make sure you lengthen your front torso each time you inhale, and twist deeper when you exhale.
Once you have reached as far as you can, hold the position for 30 seconds.You can press your elbows away from one another, which should help you twist further., To untwist yourself, inhale and reach your left fingers up toward the ceiling, then release the arm back down to your side while exhaling.Untwist your torso, and bring it up so that it is aligned between your legs.
Then re-extend your left leg back out next to your right leg.You should not come up directly from the twisted position.
Make sure you untwist your torso before sitting upright., Once you have returned to your original position, swap the instructions for your other side.
This will let you stretch out the muscles on both sides of your to body., To make this exercise easier, place a rolled up blanket or yoga mat under the knee of your extended leg.
This will reduce the stretch on your lower back and hamstrings, especially if they are tight, or not as warmed up as you might like., If you have difficulty reaching, or comfortably grabbing, your extended foot, use a yoga strap.
Wrap it around your extended leg and hold that with one or both hands.Using the strap can also be a good way keep your torso long and straight. , Once you have gotten your left arm over your head, reach your right hand under your torso to grab your left knee.
This will help you get an even deeper twist to your torso., After doing the exercise for a while, you may find it quite easy to reach your foot.
If that is the case, you can deepen the pose by placing a block at the sole of your extended foot.
Now, when you extend your arms, reach out and grab the block instead.
About the Author
Alexander Scott
Enthusiastic about teaching lifestyle techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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