Hand-Under-Foot PosePada Hastasana
Category
Standing
Level
intermediate
Hold
5–8 breaths
Type
Asana
Breath
Inhale to lengthen, exhale to fold and soften into the hands.

Hand-Under-Foot Pose

Pada Hastasana — "foot-on-hand posture"

Also known as: Gorilla Pose

Fold forward and slide your palms under your feet, toes touching your wrists. The body weight on the hands gives the wrists a rare, welcome stretch.

Step by step

  1. 1Stand with your feet hip-width apart and fold forward from your hips.
  2. 2Bend your knees and slide your palms, face up, under the fronts of your feet.
  3. 3Work your toes in until they touch the creases of your wrists.
  4. 4Inhale and lengthen your spine forward, lifting the chest halfway.
  5. 5Exhale, bend the elbows out to the sides, and fold deeper over the legs.
  6. 6Let your body weight press gently into your palms to stretch the wrists.
  7. 7Keep weight moving toward the balls of the feet, hips over ankles.
  8. 8Inhale to lengthen, slide the hands out, and roll up slowly.

Benefits

  • ✓ Deeply stretches the hamstrings and calves
  • ✓ Stretches the wrists and forearms under gentle body weight
  • ✓ Lengthens the entire back body
  • ✓ Settles the breath in a supported fold

Make it yours

  • · Keep a generous bend in the knees so the palms slide fully under the feet.
  • · Stand on a folded blanket to soften pressure on the hands.
  • · Practice Big Toe Pose or hold the shins if the wrists need a day off.

Take care

  • Skip the pose, or keep weight light on the hands, if you have a wrist injury.
  • Keep the knees bent and the fold shallow if your lower back or hamstrings are sensitive.

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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