Dancer Pose

Instructions

1. 1Stand in Tadasana, shift your weight onto your left foot, and ground through all four corners of the foot.
2. 2Bend your right knee and bring your right heel toward your right buttock, reaching back with your right hand to grasp the inner ankle or big toe.
3. 3Extend your left arm forward and upward, parallel to the floor, to create a counterbalance.
4. 4On an inhale, press your right foot into your hand and simultaneously lift the leg back and up, keeping the hip squared forward.
5. 5Lengthen through your spine and chest, gazing at a fixed point ahead to maintain balance.
6. 6Hold for 5 breaths, then release the back leg slowly and return to Tadasana before switching sides.

Contraindications & precautions

• ⚠Low back pain or lumbar compression — avoid deep spinal extension and work with a smaller range of motion.
• ⚠Shoulder or rotator cuff injury — do not force the shoulder into external rotation when grasping the foot.
• ⚠Knee injury or instability — avoid strong flexion of the lifted leg and use a strap around the foot instead.