Lower back and hips

Supta Padangusthasana B: Strap

Uses the strap to explore the inner thigh and side of the hip while your pelvis stays supported.

How to do it

1. 1

   Loop the strap around one foot, lying down

   Hold both ends of the strap in the hand on the same side as the lifted leg, so the other hand is free.

2. 2

   Take that leg up first, with the knee slightly bent

   Set it directly over the hip before it goes anywhere sideways.

3. 3

   Let the leg open out to the side, slowly

   Only as far as the opposite hip stays down on the floor. Support under the thigh, or your free hand on that hip, helps you feel where the limit is.

4. 4

   Bend the other knee with the foot on the floor

   That makes the whole position steadier, though the leg can also stay long if that is comfortable.

5. 5

   Hold 30 to 60 seconds, then change sides

   Return the leg through the top rather than dragging it back across.

What to watch for

Letting the leg travel so far out to the side that the opposite hip rolls up and the body follows it. That hip staying down decides your range, and a bent knee costs you nothing here.

Ways to adjust it

• Knee slightly bent
• Support under the thigh
• Second knee bent, foot on floor

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Supta Padangusthasana A: Strap

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.

• Supta Padangusthasana A: Strap
• Supta Padangusthasana B: Chair Supported

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.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.