- Category
- Balancing
- Level
- advanced
- Hold
- 3-5 breaths per side
- Type
- Asana
- Breath
- Slow and even — exhale as you lower, inhale as you rise.
Toe Stand
Padangustasana (Bikram) — "big-toe posture (pada: foot; angustha: big toe)"
Fold one foot into half lotus, then sink all the way down to balance on the ball of the standing foot, hands at your heart. Toe Stand demands open hips, a strong ankle, and a calm head — in that order.
Step by step
- 1Stand tall and place your right foot into half lotus, high at the crease of your left hip.
- 2Fix your gaze on one point on the floor a few feet ahead.
- 3Hinge forward and, bending your standing knee, lower your hips slowly toward your left heel.
- 4Rise onto the ball of your left foot as you sit, resting fingertips on the floor for balance.
- 5Sitting on the lifted heel, find your steadiness, then bring one hand and eventually both to your heart.
- 6Keep the spine tall and the breath even.
- 7Return your fingertips to the floor, press back up to standing with control, and change sides.
Benefits
- ✓ Strengthens the ankles, feet, and knees of the standing leg
- ✓ Opens the hip of the folded leg
- ✓ Builds concentration — the descent and ascent take total attention
- ✓ Develops control in a very small base of support
Make it yours
- · Keep fingertips on the floor or on two blocks the whole time — the hands-at-heart finish can wait.
- · Practice Garland Pose and standing half lotus separately before combining them.
- · Lower only halfway down, hips resting no lower than the standing knee, and come back up.
Take care
- Take care with knee injuries — the half-lotus fold and deep knee bend both ask a lot; keep the foot at the opposite ankle or skip the descent.
- Take care with ankle injuries on the standing side.
- If you have balance issues, keep both hands on the floor or on blocks throughout, or practice the half-lotus fold standing upright near a wall.
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
- 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
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no cost to you. All gear recommendations