Pose of the Month: Frog Pose, Adho Mukha Mandukasana

By April Evans

You might recognize this Pose of the Month from many other fitness modalities. Frog Pose is an extremely useful stretch for runners or other athletes who risk injury to the groin or hip area from large, explosive movements. Frog pose is also very helpful for those who spend lots of time sitting and are at risk for developing overly tight hips. This version of frog pose (there are two other asanas called “frog pose:” mandukasana and bhekasana) is most commonly found in Yin Yoga, which focuses on connective tissue in addition to muscles.

Benefits:

• Opens the Groin
• Combats tight hips
• Provides slight backbend
• Aids digestion

How to:

1. Facing sideways on your mat, come to the widest-kneed child’s pose you can.

2. Take the hands underneath the shoulders and shift your hips forward, like a wide-kneed table top, then adjust your feet so that the ankles are in line with the knees, and flex the feet.

3.  Begin to move the hips back in space so they are in line with the knees.  The thighs are working toward being parallel to the long edges of your mat, and the shins are working toward being parallel to the short edges of your mat.

4.  You might be able to lower the forearms down to the floor underneath the shoulders, or perhaps even rest the belly, chest, and chin on the floor and extend the arms forward.

5.  Check that the hips stay in line with the knees and that the low back doesn’t arc down into a banana shape. Focus on lengthening the tailbone back.

6.  Stay for at least 5 breaths.

Modifications:

1. A blanket can be used under the knees if they are tender. Those with knee injuries should avoid this pose.

2.  If you have a tender low back, keep the feet closer together and allow the hips to remain a little forward of the knees. If tenderness persists, come out of the pose. Use Baddha Konasana as a groin stretch instead.