Extended Side Angle Pose

What Does Extended Side Angle Pose Mean?

Extended side angle pose is a standing, side-stretching yoga posture that requires balance and flexibility. The pose offers a range of physical benefits, but it is also believed to relieve mental and emotional stress.

To practice this pose, the practitioner enters a lunge position. The lead arm rests on the lead leg or reaches to the ground, while the other arm extends overhead and forward, stretching the side of the body. The head turns upward to gaze at the sky.

Extended side angle pose is sometimes called warrior angle pose and is also known by its Sanskrit name, utthita parsvakonasana. It is similar to extended triangle pose (utthita trikonasana), except that the latter pose is practiced with both legs straight.

Yogapedia Explains Extended Side Angle Pose

Extended side angle pose is part of the primary series of Ashtanga yoga and a key component of other styles of yoga. With its emphasis on the body's core, extended side angle pose is believed to aid the nervous system and strengthen the spine. It is also thought to have these additional benefits:

• Increased endurance
• Improved digestion and lung function
• Relief from back and shoulder stiffness
• Flexibility in the hamstring and groin muscles
• Core strength and flexibility
• Increased strength in the legs, knees and ankles

This pose is best practiced in the beginning or middle of a sequence of standing poses because it prepares the body for deeper stretches.

Those with a neck injury or pain should keep their gaze straight ahead, rather than turning the head upward.