Bend your right knee and place the right foot against the left inner thigh, relaxing the knee down.
As you inhale, flex the left foot, press the top of the thigh down, lengthen the spine and raise your arms either side of your head.
Rotate your upper body slightly so you are facing the left leg and then fold forward from the hips as you exhale.
Keep your spine long, chest open and shoulders relaxed.
Place your hands down, framing your left leg, or take hold of your ankle or foot.
Stay for 5 to 10 breaths.
Inhale, as you come out of the pose.
Beginners’ tips
If you find it difficult to tilt the pelvis forward, sit up on a folded blanket or cushion. Work on maintaining length in your spine, sitting upright rather than folding forward.
Try using a strap around the ball of your foot to keep your spine long while folding forward. Just don’t pull it forcefully.
Bend your knee as much as you need to fold from the hips.
Benefits
Calms the mind.
Stimulates digestion.
Stretches the hips, back of the body and groins.
Relieves menstrual discomfort.
Stimulates the kidneys and liver.
Watch out for
Be careful not to pull yourself forcefully into the forward bend (especially if you are using a strap). This will hunch the back and shorten the front of the body.
If the back extended knee feels uncomfortable, bend it slightly and place a blanket underneath.
Skip this pose if you have any lower back pain.
Variations
If your hands come past your foot you can take hold of the right wrist with the left hand and bind around the left foot.
Deepen this pose by widening the angle between the two legs. This happens by bringing the bent knee further back.
You may see a similar looking pose in a Yin yoga class. In Yin yoga it is called Half-Butterfly. The difference being that in Yin yoga the student relaxes into the pose rather than using muscular effort to get into a forward bend. So the back is more rounded and soft and the legs are relaxed. The pose is held for between 3 and 5 minutes in a Yin yoga practice.
