Standing Ardha Bhekasana
(Standing Half Frog Pose)

Start standing in Tadasana. Maintaining the straight line, bend one leg and lift the foot so the heel touches the buttock. Use wall support if necessary.

What is Standing Ardha Bhekasana?

This is an asymmetrical pose that works on extending your quad muscles, improving knee mobility, and relieving tension in the legs. It can be done either with or without wall support. The aim is to maintain your Tadasana line as you hold in this pose. This way, the benefits will spread to your spine and abdominal muscles, as well as to the quads and knees.

When to do Standing Ardha Bhekasana?

Standing Half Frog Pose is a great form of warm-up and is commonly found in many sports outside of yoga. Joggers, for example, tend to perform a loose version of this pose before or after a run: to extend their muscles, massage their knee joints, and to relieve any excess strain.

It comes well at the start of a session as you prepare your legs for more strenuous standing poses but can also come at the end of your practice if you feel a spasm has surfaced. When done without wall support, this pose can be calming as well as energising, since it will draw your focus away from any unwanted thoughts and into the process of staying balanced on one leg.

Though overall quite simple, this pose might be more challenging for those with tight knees or hamstrings or other issues with their legs. If you are struggling to bend your leg all the way back to meet your buttock, you can strap a belt around your ankle and pull it towards you to capacity.