Lizard Pose Doesn’t Just Stretch You Head To Tail—It’s An *Amazing* Hip-Opener, Too

Lizard pose is so-named as a result of “it resembles a lizard with its entrance leg crawling ahead, and the again leg resembles a tail,” explains Desi Bartlett, CPT, E-RYT, registered yoga instructor and creator of desibodymind.com. “The arms and palms may tackle the form of a lizard in numerous positions, and are made to seem like a lizard crawling.”

In Sanskrit, the pose known as utthan pristhasana: “uttha” can imply stretched out and “pristha” can imply rear, or again of the physique. It is usually generally known as low lunge variation. In yin yoga, the pose known as dragon flying low.

And whereas this yoga asana is taught in decrease stage lessons, it’s not simple!

“These new to the apply of yoga typically discover themselves on this intermediate-advanced apply accidentally,” notices Tamika Caston-Miller, co-owner of The Ranch Houston, an city farm and wellness area in Texas. When introducing the pose to newcomers, she tries to encourage practitioners to go to their “Goldilocks place,” explaining, “that is the place they’ll apply with an excellent breath, moderately than going to their finish vary of movement.”

Lizard pose does greater than enhance mobility and enhance flexibility, although. It comes chock-full of deeper yogic classes, as a result of reptiles occur to be grasp yoga practitioners. From their skill to freeze and preserve assets to shedding of previous pores and skin, we are able to be taught quite a bit about calmness by channeling these versatile creatures.

Lizard pose advantages

Should you’re not used to doing lizard pose frequently, you is perhaps tempted to skip it for extra acquainted hip-openers or different foundational yoga poses. However lizard pose has its personal distinctive advantages that should not be ignored.

Flexibility (bodily and in any other case)

Along with hip and backbone flexibility (try that lower-body stretch, in any case), lizard pose teaches us to be adaptable. Consider the chameleon who adjustments coloration to match its setting. There are quite a few methods to adapt the posture to satisfy your wants, and figuring out which model is finest for you (extra on these beneath) will make you far more versatile than getting your elbows to the bottom.

Breath management

Lizard pose teaches us find out how to discover stillness within the midst of depth by breath management. There’s a reptilian high quality to getting quiet apart from the motion of the breath, not not like the frozen reptiles you see in glass cages on the zoo, with solely their bellies increasing out and in.

Hip flexor lengthening and nervous system de-stressing

Hip flexors are the muscular tissues that pull our thigh to our chest or our pelvis all the way down to our thigh. Power stress can result in a tightening of this muscle group.

“The world has been a bit chaotic just lately, and many people are experiencing persistent hip flexor stress. Lizard pose permits us the chance to launch muscular stress within the hip flexors, and we are able to marry that feeling with releasing emotional stress as properly,” says Bartlett.

“Lizard pose permits us to launch muscular stress within the hip flexors, and we are able to marry that with releasing emotional stress as properly.”—Desi Bartlett, E-RYT

Grounding

On this pose, the physique and the thoughts each profit from getting low and being supported, says Bartlett: “Staying near the earth can add to the sensation of assist within the technique of letting go.”

“You may make the most of gravity to your benefit in lizard,” says Andrew Pyo, E-RYT 500, of Yoga Shanti in Sag Harbor, New York, that means the burden of the pelvis can assist lengthen your again hip flexor. “This pose can also be an excellent warmup for arm balancing poses, which require hip opening and mobility.” Arm balances are additionally classically decrease to the ground, so getting used to that perspective will be a bonus.

Kinesthetic consciousness

The anatomical complexity of this posture asks practitioners to concentrate to a number of issues directly. This stage of presence strengthens our mind-body connection. It’s not nearly getting in as deep as potential, but additionally remaining conscious of what’s occurring internally.

Bartlett agrees: “This pose requires an amazing quantity of kinesthetic consciousness. Realizing the place our physique is in area and what we’re feeling inside can profit us in every thing that we do in our day by day lives. This helps each motion that we make.”

Easy methods to do lizard pose in yoga

That is probably the most fundamental yoga pose model of lizard and probably the greatest choices for newcomers.

1. Begin in a table-top place in your palms and your knees.
2. Step your proper foot to the skin of your proper hand. If wanted, use your hand to deliver it there.
3. Decrease your elbows all the way down to the mat or to a block.
4. Attain your chest towards your chin and preserve your gaze barely forward of your mat.
5. Squeeze your proper internal knee towards your shoulder.
6. Stay for 8 breaths.
7. To come back out, press as much as straight arms.
8. Return to table-top earlier than doing all of your second aspect.

Ideas for locating the pose

There are few widespread errors practitioners make when doing lizard that may price them their breath—and doubtlessly put their backbone and hips in danger. Prioritizing area and size will be important to doing the pose comfortably and safely.

Prioritize your backbone

Typically what makes this pose tough has extra to do with our pure born proportions and fewer to do with our talents. For instance, you probably have longer legs and shorter arms, props will probably be required to come back to your elbows whereas nonetheless with the ability to lengthen your backbone. All the time select your backbone over any superior variation.

“You may also put a bolster beneath your entire again shin whereas conserving the again foot tucked on the bottom, which might create more room in your hips and backbone,” suggests Pyo.

Make area at your hip joints

“Even somebody who has a background in martial arts, dance, or gymnastics and is sort of versatile might want to apply this form mindfully in order to not over-stress the physique,” warns Caston-Miller, whose relationship with the pose modified drastically after a hip alternative in 2016. She continues to apply the pose and train it together with different yoga asanas her Yin lessons, however she could be very cautious to method it with a way of curiosity and use props to keep away from any impingement.

Shield your neck

Our our bodies have a tendency to maneuver the place they’re most cell; in lizard pose, this will typically embody our neck. We crane our necks to try to get our shoulders down additional, however whereas it could really feel like we’ve gotten deeper, we’ve solely cranked our neck. Equally with twisting variations, we have a tendency to show our head earlier than our trunk. Attempt to preserve the again of your neck lengthy by wanting straight forward and even down towards your cheeks.

Lizard yoga pose variations

Some lizard pose modifications are designed to make the pose friendlier and extra accessible, like just a little gecko in your backyard. However some variations add an depth and fierceness that’s Komodo dragon–worthy.

Arms straight

“I discover that the space between the ground and the arms is probably the most difficult,” shares Caston-Miller. “I normally apply with prolonged arms moderately than on my forearms to scale back the quantity of break up within the hips and legs. You may also place blocks beneath your palms to deliver the ground up.”

1. Begin in a table-top place in your palms and your knees.
2. Step your proper foot to the skin of your proper hand. If wanted, use your hand to deliver it there.
3. Press your palms into the bottom, conserving your arms lively and straight. It’s possible you’ll put a block beneath them for extra peak.
4. Maintain for five to 7 breaths.
5. Return by table-top and arrange in your left aspect.

Externally rotated entrance leg

Hugging your entrance internal groin towards your shoulder requires vital hip flexibility. Permitting your entrance foot and leg to show open barely (exterior rotation of hip) and even letting it fall away out of your torso (abduction) is a straightforward, efficient approach to make lizard pose extra accessible. That is additionally an excellent model of lizard pose for newcomers.

1. From table-top, step your proper foot round your proper hand.
2. Flip your proper leg out, so your proper toes are going through 2 on a clock face.
3. Let your entrance leg fall open.
4. You may preserve your arms straight or come all the way down to your elbows right here.
5. Stay for five breaths.
6. Push your arms to straight and move again by table-top.
7. Arrange in your second aspect.

Again leg lifted

Although Bartlett opts for the knee-down model in her private apply, she nonetheless respects the variation the place the again leg is straight: “Knee up feels extra like a flying or elevated lizard that requires aware engagement of the pelvic flooring.”

Pyo agrees, however heads-up that there could also be an affect of the again hip joint. “Again knee up may impinge the femoral head within the hip socket of the entrance leg, since you are inclined to grind the cartilage like a mortar and pestle,” says Pyo.

Should you’re capable of preserve your backbone lengthy and keep area in your entrance hip joint, this intense variation will be plenty of enjoyable—and an incredible stretch and strength-building yoga pose.

1. Beginning in downward going through canine, elevate your proper leg up and step it round your proper hand.
2. Bend your entrance knee to 80 levels and preserve your again leg lively.
3. Squeeze your proper internal thigh towards proper shoulder.
4. You may preserve your arms straight or decrease to your elbows.
5. Deal with lengthening your backbone.
6. Breathe and maintain for five.
7. Go again by downward canine and do your left leg.

Entrance foot on chair (or block)

A easy approach to intensify the pose (and reeealllly really feel that lower-body stretch) is to raise your entrance foot on a block or perhaps a chair.

1. Place a chair on the finish of your mat with the seat directed towards your physique.
2. Come to kneeling in your shins.
3. Place your proper foot onto the chair.
4. Place your elbows on the chair inside your foot.
5. Lean your pelvis ahead whereas lifting your chest.
6. Stay for five breaths.
7. Push your arms to straight and are available again to knees slowly. Arrange in your second aspect.

Twisting lizard pose

Whereas including a twist might really feel extra snakelike than lizard-ish, it is a yummy add-on to discover.

1. Begin within the lizard pose variation along with your entrance leg externally rotated.
2. Preserve your left palm flat on the ground or block and inhale as you elevate your proper arm towards the sky.
3. It’s possible you’ll decrease to your left shoulder if it feels spacious.
4. Lean again to open your chest extra.
5. Maintain for five breaths.
6. Unwind and convey each palms down.
7. Go by table-top or downward going through canine earlier than repeating in your second aspect.

Flying lizard pose

To name this variation “superior” is perhaps promoting it quick: Flying lizard is tough for even probably the most adept practitioners, so do not feel discouraged if it is out of attain.

1. From downward going through canine, step your proper foot round your proper hand.
2. Decrease your left knee to the ground.
3. Wrap your proper thigh and shin round your proper higher arm and squeeze tightly.
4. Curl your again toes and elevate your knee.
5. Look ahead and begin to shift your weight towards your finger ideas, floating your left leg off the bottom.
6. Press into your knuckles and squeeze your elbows into your aspect physique.
7. Maintain for 3 to five breaths.
8. Decrease your lifted leg after which untangle your proper leg, coming again by the lunge.
9. Step again to downward going through canine and repeat in your left.

When to skip lizard pose in yoga

Lizard pose isn’t accessible for everybody. A few of us might have to find a complete new animal of hip openers altogether.

Hamstring accidents

“Lizard pose might not be acceptable for people with a strained groin or hamstring tear,” says Caston-Miller, who nonetheless approaches the pose with additional care even after nearly a decade since her hip surgical procedure. “I simply be certain that to apply with deep consciousness and have tailored it to the place I’m now.”

Sacroiliac Dysfunction or decrease again accidents

Unilateral actions and shapes (that means that the legs aren’t creating the identical form and have two very totally different actions), like lunges, name for “extra stability within the muscular tissues that assist the S.I. [sacroiliac] joints,” warns Bartlett, who suffered an S.I. harm after a defective adjustment in a lizard 16 years in the past.

Groin pull

Whether or not you let your entrance leg fall open (as within the externally rotated entrance leg variation above) otherwise you work to maintain your entrance thigh hugging in towards your torso, lizard requires flexibility and energy from the adductor muscular tissues, that are your groins. Due to this fact, if you’re coping with a groin harm, it is perhaps wiser to keep away from the posture altogether.