{"id":9979,"date":"2023-03-29T06:47:01","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T06:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/?p=9979"},"modified":"2023-06-06T06:09:45","modified_gmt":"2023-06-06T06:09:45","slug":"standing-hand-to-big-toe-pose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/standing-hand-to-big-toe-pose\/","title":{"rendered":"STANDING HAND TO BIG TOE POSE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UTTHITA HASTA PADANGUSTHASANA \u2013 STANDING HAND TO BIG TOE POSE<\/strong>
The primary muscles involved are the tibialis anterior, peroneus longus and brevis, quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius, gluteus maximus, intertransversarii, interspinalis, transversospinalis group, erector spinae, supinators, pronators and the psoas major.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most noticeable benefits include improving balance and focus and calming the mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana strengthens and stretches the legs, hamstrings and ankles while gently opening the hips, shoulders, and arms. This pose develops greater concentration and focus. It is not about stillness \u2013 it is fluid and responsive to the moment so don\u2019t be rigid in this posture. The more strength and adaptability you have in the feet and ankles, the more options you have for finding balance on the standing leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOW TO PERFORM <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Find a stationary point and rest your gaze there for the duration of your stay in the posture.
\u2022 Begin standing in Tadasana with your feet together and arms at your sides.
\u2022 Shift your weight to your left foot. Slowly, draw your right knee up toward your chest.
\u2022 Bring your right arm to the inside of your right thigh. Then loop your index and middle fingers around your right foot\u2019s big toe. Place your left hand on your left hip.
\u2022 Straighten your spine. Engage your abdominal muscles and the muscles of your left leg.
\u2022 Straighten your left leg, but do not lock your knee.
\u2022 On an exhalation, extend your right leg forward. Straighten your right leg as much as possible. (If you cannot reach the toes of your raised leg just hug the knee until you have gained more flexibility
\u2022 Keep both hips squared forward and keep your spine straight. Keep your shoulders soft and relaxed.
\u2022 Ensure that your right hip is in line with your left hip. Bring your awareness to your body centre.
\u2022 Hold for 5 breaths. To release, draw your knee back into your chest, then slowly lower your foot to the floor.
\u2022 Come back to Tadasana Pose before repeating on the opposite side for the same amount of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TIPS <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 It\u2019s more important to keep your spine straight and your shoulders relaxed than it is to straighten your lifted leg. Use a strap if you need to, but be sure your spine stays tall and upright throughout the pose.
\u2022 Focus on the stretch, not on the lift! It doesn\u2019t matter how high your leg goes.
\u2022 Don\u2019t be afraid to fall and stand tall to stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cautions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Do not practise this pose if you have a recent or chronic ankle or lower back injury. Always work within your own range of limits and abilities.
\u2022 Beginners or those with knee or back problems should begin against a wall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UTTHITA HASTA PADANGUSTHASANA \u2013 STANDING HAND TO BIG TOE POSEThe primary muscles involved are the tibialis anterior, peroneus longus and brevis, quadriceps, hamstrings, gastrocnemius, gluteus maximus, intertransversarii, interspinalis, transversospinalis group, erector spinae, supinators, pronators and the psoas major. The most noticeable benefits include improving balance and focus and calming the mind. Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana strengthens and stretches […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[204,71],"tags":[206],"class_list":["post-9979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anatomy","category-yoga","tag-yoga-anatomy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9979"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9981,"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9979\/revisions\/9981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}