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Revolved Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose

This pose stacks a demanding hamstring stretch on top of a standing twist. Extending one leg forward and reaching the opposite hand across to the foot lengthens the raised-leg hamstring while the obliques rotate the torso and the outer hip stabilizes the stance. It requires both open hamstrings and reliable single-leg balance, so build it after the standard hand-to-big-toe balance.

Equipment
Body Weight
Body part
Abs, Hamstring
Type
Balance, Stretching, Yoga
Muscles worked
Target
Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus
Secondary
Abdominal External Oblique, Gluteus Medius
Tertiary
Rectus Femoris, Erector Spinae

How to do it

  1. 1

    Stand tall and draw the right knee up toward the chest, balancing on the left foot.

  2. 2

    Hold the right knee and find your center before extending.

  3. 3

    Reach the left hand across the body to catch the right big toe or outer foot.

  4. 4

    Extend the right leg forward as straight as your hamstrings allow.

  5. 5

    Open the right arm out to the side and rotate the chest toward the right to deepen the twist.

  6. 6

    Release the foot, lower the leg, and repeat on the second side.

Tips

  • Keep the extended leg only as straight as you can while maintaining the twist and balance.
  • Use a strap around the foot if the hamstring limits the reach.
  • Stack tall through the standing leg and press its foot down to anchor the pose.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The chest starts turning before the leg is steady, so the twist begins at the shoulders and the whole shape spirals off the standing foot; find the extension first, then rotate.
  • The crossing hand hauls the foot toward the midline, which drags the pelvis with it and shuts the standing hip down.
  • The standing foot turns out as the body rotates and the knee turns with it; keep those toes pointing forward and let the rotation happen above the pelvis.
  • Turning the head to follow the opening hand removes the one fixed reference you had, and the pose usually comes down within a breath.
  • The lifted leg drifts across to the far side of the body as the chest turns, which makes the twist easy and the balance impossible; the foot stays in line with its own hip.

Frequently asked

What is a sensible dose for Revolved Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose, and what should come first?
Hold the standard standing hand-to-big-toe balance for 20 to 30 seconds a side first, and be comfortable in a seated or supine twist, before adding rotation on one leg. Then three to five breaths a side, two attempts each, is the dose. Come out and reset rather than correcting your way through a hold that has gone wrong, since a twist you are fighting teaches nothing. Practise it after the hips and spine have been moving for a while, not as an opening shape.
How do I work up to Revolved Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose, and how do I make it harder?
Easier: keep the lifted knee bent and hold the outside of the knee rather than the foot, use a strap looped around the foot, and stand with your back to a wall. Lying on your back and doing the same cross-body reach removes balance from the equation entirely and still trains the twist. Harder: straighten the lifted leg, let go of the strap, open the free arm wide and turn the gaze along it, or hold for eight breaths. Raising the leg higher is the last progression, not the first.
What does Revolved Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose train, and who should skip it?
It layers rotation on top of a hamstring stretch and a single-leg balance, so it trains the obliques and the outer hip to work together, and it is a good diagnostic: whichever part fails first is the part to train. Skip it if a low back objects to loaded rotation, and take the supine version instead. It is also a poor pick when you want a real hamstring stretch, since the twist and the balance both cut the hold short before the leg gets much.

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