Frog pose! What a fun asana to share with you this week.
When I was a little kid growing up on the central Florida coast I was a freak for the bright green tree frogs with red eyes. I loved to go outside and catch them and bring them back to show my family. My mom was great and never dampened my interest in frogs, snakes, bugs, fish…all of life’s critters.
Later in life, when I started practicing Ashtanga intermediate series I looked forward to doing bhekasana—and feeling that frog energy in my body!
Here, we picked a modified version of eka pada bhekasana (aka, ardha bhekasana) since this pose has a lot of moving parts and may take you and your students awhile to develop the full version, which is done by clasping BOTH feet and pressing down to create a lift of the chest.
As you may know from past posts and Our Story page, I was a competitive runner and triathlete for many years (now I just do it for fun), so the progressively intense backbends of intermediate series were and ARE still quite a challenge for me.
But, I love doing that series and feeling the expansion and opening the backbends offer—such a nice compliment to the rest of life’s forward bending and sitting.
Eka pada bhekasana, done in the way shown, is entirely doable for many yogis and yoginis, and feels wonderful. Allow the unfolding to be gentle with a conscious ujjayi breath. There is no rush to get into full bhekasana right away…or ever, frankly. You’ll get a lot of wonderful opening out of this version.
But, if you can get deep enough to spin your hand around and grab your toes, the chest and shoulder opening increases.
Below are some additional details of this pose…as usual, download this tip sheet at the bottom of this post.
asana name = eka pada bhekasana
- eka = one
- pada = foot
- bheka = frog
- asana = seat
benefits
- Builds strength in legs, arms, back and core.
- Opens front of the body, from ankle to chest.
- Stimulates the digestive, eliminative and reproductive systems.
- Activates the second and third chakras.
- Improves breathing capacity.Improves ankle flexibility.
contraindications
- Knee, ankle or shoulder injury.
- Blood pressure issues or migraine.
modifications
- Lower forehead to forearm for less backbend.
- Knee to 90° to lessen stretch.
- Deeper version: straighten front arm to deepen stretch and back bend. Emphasize the lift through the chest points.
attitude
- Quiet reflection
Conclusion: Eka pada bhekasana
So many layers and aspects to frog pose! It’s a great break from sitting, so during your day drop onto your belly and open up all those spots that lose space during your desk work. Your back, shoulders, hips and heart will love you for it!
Rrrrrribbet…?
What you can do next
- Please feel free to share in the comments below…we’d love to hear your thoughts and reflections on this article!
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- Download your free asana tip sheet below…
New to teaching? Check out Rupali’s Transform Your Yoga Teaching: The 5 Essential Elements of Teaching an Awesome Yoga Class for an easy-to-follow system of constructing your classes that will deliver a rich experience for both you and your students EVERY SINGLE TIME.
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