Lord of the Dance Pose (Right)

How to do Lord of the Dance Pose (Right)

1. 1Stand tall in Mountain Pose on your right foot, rooting down through all four corners of the sole.
2. 2Shift your weight into your right foot, bend your left knee, and draw the left heel toward your glute.
3. 3Reach back with your left hand to grasp the inner edge of your left foot or ankle, keeping your left knee tracking inward.
4. 4Inhale to sweep your right arm straight up toward the ceiling, lengthening your spine and engaging your core.
5. 5Exhale to kick your left foot firmly back and up into your left hand, allowing the chest to counterbalance forward.
6. 6Keep your hips squared toward the front of the mat rather than splaying the left hip open to the side.
7. 7Fix your steady gaze on an unmoving point straight ahead, holding the lift across the chest.
8. 8Slowly release the back foot on an exhale, lowering back down into Mountain Pose with control.

Benefits

• Strengthens the ankle, calf, and quadriceps of the standing leg
• Stretches the quadriceps, psoas, and hip flexors of the lifted leg
• Opens the chest, shoulders, and thoracic spine
• Develops core stability and balance coordination
• Enhances body awareness, poise, and mental focus

Common mistakes and cues

• Flaring the back knee

  Keep your lifted thigh and knee hugging toward the midline to prevent strain on the lower back and sacroiliac joint.

• Splaying the hips open

  Square both hip points toward the front of your mat instead of twisting the pelvis wide open.

• Collapsing into the lower back

  Engage your lower abdominal muscles and lengthen upward before hinging to avoid compressing the lumbar spine.

• Locking the standing knee

  Maintain a micro-bend in the standing right knee to stay grounded, recruit stabilizing muscles, and protect the joint.

Modifications and props

• Use a yoga strap

  Loop a strap around the arch of the back foot to hold the grip comfortably without straining your shoulder or lower back.

• Hand to wall

  Place your forward-reaching hand on a wall at shoulder height for support as you practice lifting the back leg.

• Hold outside of ankle

  Grip the outer ankle if holding the inner foot creates discomfort in the front of your shoulder.

• Stay upright without forward hinge

  Focus purely on kicking the foot back while keeping your torso vertical to prioritize balance over deep spinal extension.

Cautions

• Lower back issues

  Avoid deep backbending or aggressive kicking if you experience acute lumbar pain or disc herniation.

• Ankle instability

  Step down immediately or use a wall if your standing ankle feels unstable or fatigued.

• Shoulder injuries

  Refrain from lifting the arm overhead or grabbing the back foot directly if you have active rotator cuff issues.

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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