Hips and lower back
Supta Padangusthasana B: Chair Supported
A gentle, supported release for the inner hip that asks for no effort and no flexibility: the chair carries your leg while your back stays relaxed.
How to do it
- 1
Set a chair beside you and lie down
The seat should sit roughly level with your hip and close enough that your leg reaches it without stretching for it.
- 2
Take the nearer leg out onto the chair
The thigh and lower leg rest on the seat so the chair holds the entire weight of the leg.
- 3
Check the leg is resting, not being held
If there is a gap under the thigh, bring the chair closer or slide a folded blanket underneath. Nothing here should take any effort.
- 4
Keep the other leg long or bend it
The bent option settles the lower back if lying with both legs long is not comfortable.
- 5
Rest for 45 to 90 seconds, then swap sides
Reduce the opening angle any time the outside of the hip starts to speak up.
What to watch for
A leg that is hanging rather than resting. This position works only because the chair carries the leg, so if you can feel yourself holding it up, the chair is too far away or too low.
Ways to adjust it
- Bring the chair closer
- Reduce the opening angle
- Folded blanket under the open thigh
- Second knee bent, foot on the floor
Other ways to do this movement
Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Reclined Hamstring Stretch versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.
Before you try it
Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.
One movement is a start. A session is the thing.
A few questions about your body and how it is today, and Vinys builds a session around it, including which movements to leave out.
Start your first sessionFrom the clinically authored Vinys movement library.