Big Toe PosePadangusthasana
- Category
- Standing
- Level
- intermediate
- Hold
- 5–8 breaths
- Type
- Asana
- Breath
- Inhale to lengthen, exhale to fold with the elbows widening.
Big Toe Pose
Padangusthasana — "big toe posture"
A standing forward fold holding your big toes, using the arms to gently deepen the stretch. A staple of the Ashtanga standing sequence.
Step by step
- 1Stand with your feet hip-width apart and parallel.
- 2Exhale and fold forward from the hips, keeping the spine long.
- 3Wrap the first two fingers of each hand around each big toe, thumbs closing the grip.
- 4Inhale, straighten your arms, and lift your chest halfway, lengthening the spine.
- 5Exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides, and draw your torso toward your legs.
- 6Shift weight slightly forward so your hips stay over your ankles.
- 7Keep the neck relaxed and the legs active.
- 8Inhale to a flat back, release the toes, and rise slowly.
Benefits
- ✓ Deeply stretches the hamstrings and calves
- ✓ Lengthens the spine and back muscles
- ✓ Calms and quiets the mind
- ✓ Uses the arms to teach a gradual, controlled fold
Make it yours
- · Loop a strap under the balls of the feet and hold it instead of the toes.
- · Bend the knees enough to reach the toes without rounding the back.
- · Rest your hands on blocks if the fold is far from your feet today.
Take care
- Bend the knees generously, or hold the shins instead, if you have a hamstring or lower-back injury.
- Rise slowly if you are prone to lightheadedness.
This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.
Practiced in
Props that help here
- Manduka PRO — The buy-it-once option — dense, stable, famously durable. Heavy, so it lives at home, which is where practice happens anyway. find one
- Liforme Original — The grippiest mat we've used, with alignment markers that genuinely help beginners place hands and feet. Priciest of the three. find one
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