Banana Pose
Bananasana is a simple yin shape that targets the often-neglected side body, the obliques, the lats, and the intercostals between the ribs. Lying flat keeps it safe and passive while gravity deepens the curve. It is a lovely opener before twists or backbends and a gentle release for the whole flank.
- Equipment
- Body Weight
- Type
- Recovery, Stretching, Yoga
- Browse by muscle
- Abdominal External Oblique, Latissimus Dorsi
- Target
- Abdominal External Oblique, Latissimus Dorsi
- Secondary
- Erector Spinae
How to do it
- 1
Lie flat on your back with the legs long and arms overhead.
- 2
Keep the hips anchored and walk both feet toward the right edge of the mat.
- 3
Reach both arms overhead and walk the hands toward the right as well.
- 4
Clasp the top wrist and draw it gently to deepen the left-side stretch.
- 5
Cross the left ankle over the right if you want a little more length.
- 6
Hold for one to three minutes, breathing into the stretched ribs.
- 7
Return to center slowly, then repeat curving to the other side.
Tips
- Keep both hips and both shoulders pinned to the floor so the stretch stays in the side body.
- Do not twist; think of a flat crescent rather than a rotation.
- Ease off the wrist pull if you feel any pinch in the shoulder.
Variations
Common mistakes
- The feet travel sideways but the ribs stay put, so the curve happens entirely at the hips; walk the hands as far as the feet and the crescent runs from ankle to wrist.
- The lower arm gets trapped under the head or the ribs, so the bottom side is squashed instead of the top side being lengthened; keep both arms overhead with space under each shoulder.
- The top wrist gets hauled on hard, and what you feel is the shoulder rather than the ribs; pull only enough that the lat and the spaces between the ribs come under tension.
- Thirty seconds a side is not long enough for a shape like this, since the lats and the muscles between the ribs give up length over a minute or more and almost nothing happens before that.
- Crossing the ankles is treated as the first step rather than the last, and the extra pull lifts the pelvis off the floor before the side body has opened at all.
Frequently asked
- How long should a beginner hold Banana Pose on each side?
- One to two minutes per side to begin with, stretching toward three as the ribs open, and one round each way is enough. Daily is fine, since nothing about it is strenuous, and it makes a good last thing before bed or a first thing before twists and backbends. Keep both sides equal even though the tighter side will want to come out early, and measure progress by how far the feet and hands can travel, not by how hard you pull.
- How do I make Banana Pose easier or harder?
- To make it easier, take a smaller curve, leave the arms in a wide V overhead instead of clasping the wrist, and slide a folded blanket under the ribs on the stretched side for support. Bending the knees slightly settles the low back. To make it harder, walk the feet and hands further around, stay toward the three-minute end of the hold, and reach the bottom heel away to lengthen the whole flank.
- What is Banana Pose good for, and who should ease off?
- It reaches the side body, the obliques, the lats and the muscles between the ribs, which most routines never touch directly, and lying flat keeps it passive and easy on the back. It creates breathing room and makes a good preparation for twists. Ease off if the shoulder pinches at the end of the reach, drop the clasp, and lower the arms. If lying with the arms overhead bothers a shoulder or the neck, a standing side bend gives the same flank work upright.
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