- Category
- Balancing
- Level
- intermediate
- Hold
- 30-60 seconds per side (build up gradually)
- Type
- Asana
- Breath
- Slow, steady breathing throughout — holding the breath makes the standing leg wobble.
Standing Head-to-Knee
Dandayamana Janushirasana — "standing head-to-knee posture"
The classic hot-yoga balance: stand on a firmly straight leg, hold the lifted foot in both hands, extend it forward, and eventually fold your forehead toward the knee. Most people spend years on the first stage — that is the pose working as intended.
Step by step
- 1Stand tall and fix your gaze on one point on the floor ahead of you.
- 2Shift your weight into your left leg and contract the thigh so the leg is firmly straight.
- 3Lift your right knee and interlace all ten fingers around the ball of your right foot.
- 4Stay here, standing leg solid and spine long, until this stage is genuinely steady.
- 5When it is, slowly kick the right leg forward until it is parallel to the floor.
- 6In the full pose, bend your elbows down beside the calf, tuck your chin, and round your forehead toward the knee.
- 7Come out in reverse order, with the same control, and repeat on the other side.
Benefits
- ✓ Strongly strengthens the standing leg, especially the thigh
- ✓ Stretches the hamstrings of both legs
- ✓ Builds concentration and patience in stages
- ✓ Works the core throughout the long hold
Make it yours
- · Hold the lifted knee, or a strap around the foot, instead of gripping the foot itself.
- · Keep the lifted leg bent with the thigh parallel to the floor — this stage builds all the strength the full pose needs.
- · Rest the lifted foot on a chair seat and practice the fold over a supported leg.
Take care
- If you have balance issues, practice the first stage near a wall.
- Take care with knee injuries on either side — keep the lifted knee bent and skip the forward fold.
- Take care with hamstring strains or lower-back sensitivity; extending the leg fully can wait.
This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.
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
- 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
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