Category: Backbends
Level: intermediate
Hold: 3–5 breaths
Type: Asana
Breath: Exhale as you draw the foot in; breathe slowly into the stretch.

Half Frog Pose

Ardha Bhekasana — "half frog posture"

A prone backbend with a deep quad stretch: propped on one forearm, you press the other-side foot toward your hip. Half Frog quietly combines a chest opener with one of the strongest front-of-thigh stretches in the practice.

Step by step

1Lie on your belly and prop yourself up on your forearms, as in Sphinx.
2Shift your weight onto your left forearm, keeping the chest broad.
3Bend your right knee and reach your right hand back for the top of your right foot.
4Rotate your fingers to point in the same direction as your toes, elbow lifting toward the ceiling.
5Gently press the foot down toward the outside of your right hip.
6Keep your hips level on the floor and your chest lifted.
7Release the foot slowly, extend the leg, and repeat on the other side.

Benefits

✓ Deeply stretches the front of the thigh and hip flexor
✓ Opens the chest and front of the shoulder
✓ Improves the quad flexibility used in Bow, Camel, and King Pigeon
✓ Works one side at a time, so you can meet each leg where it is

Make it yours

· Loop a strap around the foot if reaching it strains the shoulder
· Keep the chest lower, resting more weight on the supporting forearm
· Place a folded blanket under the hip bones for comfort

Take care

Take care with knee issues — press the foot only as far as the knee stays comfortable
Approach cautiously with a recent back or shoulder injury
Avoid prone backbends during pregnancy

This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.

Props that help here

Cork blocks (set of 2) — Bring the floor closer in lunges, folds, and triangle — and a block between the shoulder blades turns a backbend into something you can hold. find one
Bolster — The single best restorative purchase. Under the knees, under the spine, or lengthwise under the back to open a gentle supported backbend. find one

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