Visvamitrasana

Instructions

1. 1Begin in a Low Lunge with your right foot forward, then place your right hand on the mat inside your right foot.
2. 2Work your right shoulder underneath your right knee, pressing the knee actively against the back of the arm.
3. 3Plant your right hand firmly, straighten your right leg, and lift your left leg off the mat into a side plank position.
4. 4Stack your left foot on top of the right or stagger the feet, pressing through both outer edges of the feet.
5. 5Extend your left arm overhead, reaching long through the fingertips and rotating your chest open toward the sky.
6. 6Engage the core and press the floor away with your grounded hand to maintain length in the side body.
7. 7Hold for 3-5 breaths, then bend the right knee, lower the left foot, and release. Repeat on the other side.

Contraindications & precautions

• ⚠Wrist or elbow injuries — sustaining full lateral body weight on one arm places intense stress on both joints and should not be attempted during an acute injury phase.
• ⚠Tight hamstrings or hamstring injuries — the extended leg is under significant eccentric load and can overstretch a vulnerable posterior chain.
• ⚠Shoulder instability or labrum tears — the wide range of motion combined with load-bearing can further destabilize a compromised shoulder joint.