Revolved Side Angle Pose with Rotation to Left Leg

How to do Revolved Side Angle Pose with Rotation to Left Leg

1. 1Step your left foot forward into a deep lunge with your front knee bent at ninety degrees over your ankle and your right leg extended straight behind you.
2. 2Ground firmly through the ball of your back foot while keeping the back leg active and fully engaged.
3. 3Bring your palms together at your heart center, inhale to lengthen your spine, and hinge your torso slightly forward.
4. 4Exhale and twist your torso to the left, hooking your right upper arm or elbow firmly to the outside of your left thigh.
5. 5Press your palms together to leverage the rotation, drawing your thumbs toward the center of your chest to keep your collarbones broad.
6. 6Optionally, plant your right hand on the floor or a block outside your left foot and extend your left arm forward over your ear.
7. 7Direct your gaze gently toward the side wall or up past your top arm, holding steady for several smooth breaths.
8. 8To release, look down at your front foot, untwist your torso on an inhale, and step back into Downward-Facing Dog.

Benefits

• Strengthens the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes in the lower body.
• Increases rotational flexibility throughout the thoracic spine.
• Firms and engages the deep abdominal wall and obliques.
• Stretches the calves, Achilles tendons, and hip flexors.
• Improves physical balance, spatial awareness, and proprioception.
• Opens the chest and shoulders through active rotation.

Common mistakes and cues

• Collapsing onto the front thigh

  Lift your lower belly away from your left thigh rather than letting your upper body sink heavily into the leg.

• Bending the back knee passively

  Keep your back right quadricep engaged and lift the back thigh bone upward to maintain a stable foundation.

• Over-twisting from the neck

  Initiate the twist from your mid-back and rib cage first before turning your head to gaze upward.

• Losing front knee alignment

  Ensure your front left knee stays stacked directly over your ankle rather than buckling inward.

• Hunching the shoulders

  Roll both shoulder blades down your back to keep the neck long and the collarbones open.

Modifications and props

• Back knee grounded

  Lower your right knee to the mat or a folded blanket to reduce balance demands while focusing on the twist.

• Block under bottom hand

  Place a yoga block outside your left foot to elevate your right hand and maintain spinal length.

• Prayer hands variation

  Keep your hands pressed together at heart center to easily control the depth of your rotation.

• Forearm on thigh

  Rest your right forearm across your front left thigh instead of hooking the elbow for a gentler spinal twist.

Cautions

• Active spinal disc issues

  Avoid deep end-range twisting and maintain a mild rotation with an upright spine if you have lumbar disc injuries.

• Knee pain

  Lower the back knee or shorten your stance to alleviate torque on both knee joints.

• Neck strain

  Keep your gaze neutral toward the side wall rather than looking up toward the ceiling.

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

Practise this for

Classes that teach this pose

Upcoming Vinyasa classes where this shape shows up.

Teachers and studios for this practice

Related poses