Staying Grounded with Yoga
reflections on Extended Side Angle Pose
Extended Side Angle Pose, touching the ground
“In extended side angle pose, I stabilize
my legs, lengthen my spine, feel a deep
stretch from my fingers to my heels,
and sigh.
In the past, extending myself meant
taking on more than I could,
and saying yes, not to life, but to anyone
and anything but myself.”
-Corie Feiner, “A Poem for Extended Side Angle Pose”
The tip of the iceberg
Utthita Parsvakonasana, a.k.a. Extended Side Angle Pose, can look like one of those grand, sweeping poses that stretches you from your core to your extremities. There is much you can tell about your body from how you feel most comfortable in the pose: is your bottom hand touching the ground or a block? Or do you prefer to rest that elbow on the thigh of the bent leg? Can your shoulders relax away from your ears, or do you keep having to bring them back down? Is your chest opening to the side, or does it want to rotate toward the ground? Are your toes gripping the ground or can you relax and spread them?
There are so many places you can put your attention, or put your effort or let go of effort. It can all feel so complicated, but I’ve noticed in my own practice that when I focus on grounding down through my feet, everything seems to fall into place on its own. I might imagine roots sprouting out the soles of my feet and in that downward momentum of the imagination, my legs stabilize, my toes relax, my shoulders release down from my ears, and my torso and arms extend up and open with lightness.
Truly, the pose that we see is sort of the tip of the iceberg. If we can practice and imagine that we are connected to everything in the ground beneath us, our Extended Side Angle Pose can take on a very earthy, rooted feeling.
Bhavana - the vibe of the pose
Just like many of the other standing yoga poses, Extended Side Angle Pose gives us the chance to embody a sense of flexible solidity; we become stable without falling into being rigid if we really stay grounded in the pose.
This pose is close friends with the variations of Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose), but as we reach down and touch the earth (or a block, or our thigh), we pay homage to gravity and the Earth. As we linger in Extended Side Angle Pose, our bodies seem to say, “I am strong and stable. I can reach for the stars while staying true to my roots.”
This is the bhavana of Extended Side Angle Pose, at least as I’ve experienced it. Maybe you’ll sense another hue in the vibe of this lovely standing pose. New to the concept of bhavana? Here’s an article that explains it well.
Modifications - sense into the sweet spot
As I’ve gone through various chapters of motherhood — from that fourth trimester with my first baby, to her toddlerhood, followed by the birth of her brother and exploring these chapters again with a new child — I’ve come to see the value in flexibility in my yoga practice. I’m not talking about physical flexibility, but the kind that helps you acknowledge when your practice needs to shift or be modified because of changes in your life.
These changes in lifestyle have prompted me to get creative; they’ve helped me discover things like the value of standing yoga poses, which are the best ones when my son is around, because if I’m lower to the ground he assumes my body is his playground. It’s not to say I’ve only done standing poses in this phase of motherhood, but if he was around, I knew what was possible and likely!
The other types of modifications we can make are ones that help us respect how our bodies change after having children. I don’t have to tell you this because you already know from experience, but I’ll go ahead and mention anyway that pregnancy and caring for a baby can put a lot of strain on our posture. We can lose flexibility and strength and then it’s easy to feel discouraged when we do something and it feels different than it used to.
That’s why I always say that yoga props are our friends. Using props is not a sign of limited ability in yoga; on the contrary, it can actually be one way we practice self-awareness and self-compassion. We can ask ourselves questions like, “What am I feeling/sensing as I hold this pose? What does my body need right now? What would make me more comfortable?” When we open up this type of inquiry, we practice a very refined type of yoga, where it becomes as much about ourselves and not just about achieving our idea of the perfect pose.
It’s an art to find that sweet spot where we feel challenged yet comfortable enough to hold the pose. Some simple ways to find greater comfort can include:
Placing a block in against the inner edge of the front foot so your hand can rest on the block. Play around to find the height that feels most supportive to you so that your upper body can relax.
Place your hand or elbow on the thigh of the front (bent) leg rather than reach all the way to the ground. This is definitely not a competition and your comfort and safety is much more important than looking impressive in the pose!
Change the stance between the feet so it’s not as wide. That will probably mean you won’t be touching the ground with that bottom hand since it will be further away, but if it means your legs will feel stronger and better aligned, then that is a win! Plus, overstretching the legs and hips can be very destabilizing and might not feel great afterwards.
A more gentle variation of Extended Side Angle Pose with the elbow on the thigh
All these modifications can do so much to help you feel more grounded in Extended Side Angle Pose. From that grounded base, it becomes easier to reach up toward the sky and open your chest for a more expansive feeling. Of course, one day you might want to use a block and another day you might touch the ground instead. Pay attention, be open to those shifting needs and your body will thank you.
Here’s a little video guidance for more visual and experiential learners:
Poetic inspiration
I love this insightful poem by Corie Feiner on Extended Side Angle. It really gets into one way we can embody the bhavana of this pose. The quote at the beginning of this post gives you a taste of the poem. As mamas, we know all about (over)extending ourselves for the sake of others. It’s time we get grounded and practice self-love and self-respect by practicing yoga in response to our body’s needs. Click on the link at the beginning of this paragraph to enjoy the entire poem:)
Know someone else who might like to go more in-depth into their yoga poses? Please share the love!
If you have mamas in your life that need inspiration and tips on incorporating yoga into their busy lives, let them know about Urban Yoga Mama. We could all use a little yoga in our lives:)
Thanks for reading! There’s nothing I love more than connecting with others through writing and yoga.