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After a day at the computer, the sides of your body can feel short and stiff. The side-angled stretch, known in Sanskrit as Utthita Parsvakonasana or extended side angle pose, is a standing yoga posture that lengthens the whole side of the body, from the back foot to the fingertips. This guide explains how to do it step by step, how to make it easier, and what it can and cannot do for you.

How do you do the side-angled stretch?

These instructions follow the standard form of the pose. Take your time and breathe normally throughout. Step 1: stand tall and step your feet wide apart, about three to four feet. Raise your arms to shoulder height with the palms down. Step 2: turn your right foot out to the right by 90 degrees and turn your left foot in slightly. Step 3: exhale and bend your right knee until your thigh is about parallel to the floor, with the knee directly above the ankle and not past it. Keep the left leg straight and press through the outer edge of the left foot. Step 4: lower your right forearm onto your right thigh, or place the right hand on your shin, on a block or on the floor outside your foot. Step 5: reach your left arm up and over your ear so that you form one long line from your left heel to your left hand. Hold for about five slow breaths, then press into your feet to come up and repeat on the other side. If you like, stand with your back near a wall to keep your hips and chest facing the same direction.

How can you make it easier?

Rest your forearm on your thigh instead of reaching to the floor, shorten your stance, or keep the top hand on your hip. Do not worry about how low you go. A pose you can hold comfortably while breathing is worth more than one that strains you. If your balance is not steady, practice next to a wall or a sturdy chair.

What does it do for you?

Stretching keeps muscles flexible, and Harvard Health Publishing says that we need that flexibility to keep a range of motion in our joints. Without it, muscles shorten and become tight, which can make you prone to joint pain and strains. Sitting in a chair all day, for example, tightens the hamstrings. The side-angled stretch works the legs, hips and the muscles along the side of the trunk. The older version of this article claimed that it tones every muscle, cures spondylosis and improves digestion. There is no good evidence for those claims, so I have left them out. Read more in Harvard’s article on the importance of stretching.

How can you stretch safely?

Harvard gives simple rules. Warm up first with five to ten minutes of light activity such as a quick walk, because stretching cold muscles can hurt them. Hold a stretch for about 30 seconds and do not bounce. You should feel tension but not pain, and if you feel pain, stop. Aim to stretch daily, or at least three or four times a week. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health adds that yoga is generally safe when done properly, that injuries are most often sprains and strains, and that the knee and lower leg are the parts most often hurt. People with a knee or hip injury, lumbar spine disease, balance problems, severe high blood pressure or glaucoma may need to change or avoid some poses, so check with your doctor and a qualified instructor.

What should you try next?

The side-angled stretch is a close relative of the triangle pose, so the two make a good pair. For more postures you can learn at home, see our guide to basic yoga postures and the introduction to yoga postures and styles. If you are new to the practice, what yoga is explains the basics.

Book: Yoga for Computer Users by Sandy Blaine
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