Benefits: Stretches back, hamstrings, calves; lengthens spine
Helps: Digestion, stress, anxiety, low energy, high blood pressure

1. Begin sitting in staff pose (dandasana).

2. Bend your left knee in toward your chest, placing your foot flat on the floor. Then drop it out to the left and use your hands to bring your left heel closer to your right groin. Press the sole of your left foot into your right inner thigh. Sit up and inhale as you lengthen your spine. Place your right hand next to your right hip and raise your left arm.

3. Exhale and twist slightly to the right, squaring your torso over your right leg, and fold forward from your hips. Keep your back straight as you reach your left hand to the outside of your right ankle. Then cross your right wrist over your left wrist and grab the inside of your right ankle.
Modification: Can’t reach your ankle? Grab hold of your calf, knee, thigh, whatever is available to you without compromising the integrity of the pose – that is, keeping your spine straight.

4. With each inhale, lengthen your spine from your tailbone through the crown of your head, leading with your chest. With each exhale fold forward a little further. Stay here for two breaths. Then, on an exhale, keeping your wrists crossed and back straight, reach your hands further forward to take hold of your right foot and bring your torso closer to your leg.
Modification: If your hands were on your calf, knee, or thigh, just aim to extend a little further, moving your hands from your knee to your calf, say, and still keeping your spine straight.

5. Inhale, lift your head slightly, and extend both wrists beyond your left foot (if yours are on your calf or your ankle, stay there and breathe). Take hold of your right wrist with your left hand. Exhale and lower your torso and head toward your right shin. Take three to five breaths here.
Note: The goal of this pose is not to get your head to touch your knee, which would require rounding your spine. The goal is rather to extend your spine long over your leg and reach your forehead for your shin. So it’s more like chest-to-knee pose or head-to-shin pose.

6. Exhale as you bring your hands back to hold your foot and lower your torso and head toward your leg again. Inhale as you bring your hands back to your ankle and lift your torso upright. Lift your left knee, place sole of your foot on the floor, and straighten your leg back out in front of you, sitting up into dandasana.

7. Switch sides and repeat.