Little Thunderbolt Pose

Instructions

1. 1Kneel on the mat with knees hip-width apart and sit back onto your heels in Vajrasana.
2. 2Place your hands on your thighs, lengthen your spine, and take two full breaths to settle.
3. 3Lean back slowly, placing your palms on the floor behind you with fingers pointing toward your feet.
4. 4Continue lowering onto your elbows, then lower your crown toward the floor, arching the thoracic spine.
5. 5Bring your hands to rest on your thighs or extend your arms overhead on the floor, deepening the chest opening.
6. 6Breathe into the front of the body for five to eight breaths, expanding the ribcage fully.
7. 7To exit, press into your elbows, lift your head, and slowly return to an upright kneeling position.

Contraindications & precautions

• ⚠Knee pain or knee injury — sitting on the heels with body weight compresses the knee joint and should be avoided when any structural damage is present.
• ⚠Cervical spine injury or neck hypermobility — lowering the crown to the floor places direct load on the cervical vertebrae and can cause neurological symptoms.
• ⚠Lumbar hyperlordosis or sacroiliac joint dysfunction — the deep lumbar extension in this pose can worsen existing curvature or joint instability in the lower back.