- Category
- Reclining
- Level
- advanced
- Hold
- 5–8 breaths
- Type
- Asana
- Breath
- Steady and even — resist the urge to hold it during the effort.
Extended-Leg Fish
Uttana Padasana — "intense leg-stretch pose (uttana = intense stretch, pada = leg)"
Also known as: Raised-Leg Fish
Fish Pose with the legs and arms lifted to about 45 degrees, palms pressed together. It appears in the Ashtanga finishing sequence and demands strong legs, an open chest, and a careful neck all at once.
Step by step
- 1Begin in Fish Pose: chest lifted, crown of the head resting lightly, forearms supporting you.
- 2Firm your legs together and lift them off the floor to about 45 degrees.
- 3Release your forearms and reach your arms parallel to your legs, palms pressed together.
- 4Keep the chest lifted and the weight light on the crown — the legs and core do the work.
- 5Breathe steadily; don't hold your breath as the effort builds.
- 6To come out, lower your legs with control, bring your forearms back under you, then lift your head and lie flat.
Benefits
- ✓ Strengthens the hip flexors, thighs, and abdominal muscles
- ✓ Keeps the chest and throat open under load
- ✓ Builds the control to hold a backbend and leg lift together
- ✓ Sharpens focus — there is nowhere to hide in this pose
Make it yours
- · Practice over a bolster under the shoulder blades with the head supported, lifting only the legs.
- · Keep the forearms down for support and lift the legs alone.
- · Lift one leg at a time to build strength before taking both.
Take care
- Take real care with the neck: this pose rests some weight near the crown of the head while the body works hard. If your neck is at all sensitive, practice the propped version or regular Fish instead.
- Skip during pregnancy — the flat backbend plus strong abdominal work doesn't adapt well.
- Ease off if your lower back grips or pinches.
This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.
Practiced in
Props that help here
- 8-foot cotton strap — Extends your reach in hamstring and shoulder work — the honest substitute for grabbing a foot you can't yet reach. Get 8ft, not 6ft. find one
- Yoga blanket — Folded under the hips in seated poses, under the knees in kneeling ones, under the shoulders for shoulderstand. A firm household blanket works too. find one
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