Feeling stiff and sore after a long day at work? Get a good stretch throughout your body and relieve back pain with Angle Pose or Konasana.
Angle pose I — Konasana I (Kone-aa-SUN-aa) — is a side-stretching yoga posture and a standing pose. It provides a deep opening in the sides of the body. The pose gets its name from the Sanskrit words kona, meaning angle, and asana, meaning pose.
Level of difficulty : Beginner
Step-by-step instructions
Stand straight with feet hip-width apart. Hold your arms alongside your body.
Breathing in, raise your left arm up. Keep the fingers of your left hand pointed towards the ceiling. Feel a nice opening in your left shoulder.
Breathing out, bend to the right. Keep your chest facing forward and your left arm pointing up. Keep both knees straight.
Turn your head to look up at the left palm. Hold your torso at a steady angle towards the right. Straighten your elbows. Notice the stretch in your left leg, keeping your left foot on the yoga mat. The stretch should affect each leg joint.
Breathing in, straighten your body back to the center.
Exhale as you bring the left arm down. Notice any changes in your sense of arm balance as you inhale and exhale again.
Repeat with the right arm. Bring your upper body to a steady angle towards the left. Keep your chest forward, stretching your right side.
Benefits
Stretches the sides of the body, torso, chest, leg joints, and spine
Tones the sides, arms, legs, and abdominal organs
Helps relieve back pain
Increases spine flexibility
Helps relieve constipation
Helps relieve sciatica (shooting pain in the thigh muscles)
Improves blood circulation throughout the body
Stimulates the nervous system and blood flow
Precautions
Severe back pain
Severe heart problems
Frozen shoulder
Spondylitis
2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy
Preparatory and follow up poses
Mountain Pose | Tadasana (Preparatory)
Standing Backward Bend Pose | Ardha Chakrasana (Preparatory)
Sideways Bending Pose with Two Arms | Konasana II (Follow up)
Triangle Pose | Trikonasana (Follow up)
Tree Pose | Vrikshasana (Follow-up)
Gate Pose | Parighasana (Follow up)
Browse our entire yoga poses library and learn more about each yoga pose in detail.
While a regular yoga practice can result in improved health, know that it is not a substitute for medical treatment. It is important to learn and practice yoga under the supervision of a trained teacher. In the case of a medical condition, practice yoga after consulting a doctor. Do you need information on courses? Contact us at programs@us.artofliving.org to find a Sri Sri Yoga course at an Art of Living Center near you.
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Take your asana practice to a next level
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