Bend to Right Leg

How to do Bend to Right Leg

1. 1Begin seated in Staff Pose with both legs extended straight out in front of you on the mat.
2. 2Bend your left knee and place the sole of your left foot against your right inner thigh, allowing your left knee to open toward the floor.
3. 3Turn your torso slightly to the right so your chest aligns squarely with your extended right leg.
4. 4Inhale to sweep both arms overhead, lifting out of your pelvis and lengthening through the sides of your waist.
5. 5Exhale and hinge forward from your hip creases, leading with your breastbone rather than rounding your forehead down.
6. 6Rest your hands comfortably on your right shin, ankle, or the outer edges of your right foot.
7. 7Keep your right toes pointing straight up and your neck relaxed as you breathe into the back of your body.

Benefits

• Deeply stretches the hamstring and calf muscles of the extended leg
• Lengthens the paraspinal muscles and releases tension in the lower back
• Gently opens the inner groin and hip rotators of the bent leg
• Encourages mindful abdominal compression that aids healthy digestion
• Promotes a down-regulating effect on the nervous system to relieve fatigue

Common mistakes and cues

• Rounding through the upper spine

  Avoid hunching your shoulders and rounding heavily through your middle back just to force your head to touch your knee.

• Collapsing the extended foot

  Keep your right ankle flexed and toes pointing straight upward rather than letting the leg roll outward.

• Forcing the bent knee down

  Do not push your bent knee aggressively into the mat if tight hips cause it to hover off the floor.

• Uneven hip grounding

  Ensure your left sitting bone remains rooted rather than peeling completely off the mat as you fold forward.

Modifications and props

• Strap around the foot

  Loop a yoga strap around the ball of your right foot so you can maintain an open chest without straining to reach your toes.

• Block under the bent knee

  Place a yoga block or folded blanket beneath your left knee for firm support if the inner hip feels tight or tender.

• Elevated seat on a blanket

  Sit on the edge of a folded blanket to tilt your pelvis forward and relieve strain on your lower back and hamstrings.

• Microbend in the extended knee

  Slide a rolled towel under your right knee to take excess tension off the hamstring attachment points.

Cautions

• Lumbar disc issues

  Keep your spine flat and avoid deep forward flexion if you have active herniations or bulging discs.

• Acute hamstring injury

  Ease out of the fold and keep a generous bend in the front knee if you feel sharp pull near the sitting bone.

• Knee discomfort

  Support the bent knee with props or decrease the flexion angle to prevent torsional stress across the joint.

If you are working with an injury, pregnancy or a medical condition, check with a qualified professional before practising this pose.

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