Elephant Trunk Pose

Instructions

1. 1Begin seated on the mat with your legs extended in front of you in Dandasana.
2. 2Lift your right leg and thread the right arm underneath the right knee, bringing the knee as high onto the upper arm as possible, ideally above the shoulder.
3. 3Place both palms flat on the mat beside your hips, fingers pointing forward, and spread the fingers wide.
4. 4Press firmly into both palms and engage the core to begin lifting the hips off the mat.
5. 5Flex the right foot strongly and push through the heel to keep the leg lifted and prevent it from sliding down.
6. 6Keep the left leg either extended or also lifted if you are working toward the full pose.
7. 7Hold for three to five breaths, then slowly lower the hips back to the mat and switch sides.

Contraindications & precautions

• ⚠Wrist injuries or hypermobility — the full compression of body weight on the wrists is extreme; avoid or use blocks to elevate the hands.
• ⚠Tight hamstrings or hamstring injury — the deep flexion required to lift the leg onto the arm is inaccessible without adequate hamstring length and may strain a recovering muscle.
• ⚠Sacroiliac joint dysfunction or acute low back pain — the asymmetric loading and deep hip flexion can destabilise the SI joint.