Front Splits · Hanumanasana
Hanumanasana · 하누마나사나 · 원숭이 신 자세
Advanced Series · Sthira Bhaga (Strength & Grace) — From Advanced A (Third Series)
Breath: 5 · Drishti (gaze): upward
From a lunge, slide the front leg away until the legs extend fully forward and back, pelvis square, palms joining overhead. Modeled on Hanuman's great leap — hamstrings and hip flexors at their absolute length, descending only by gravity and breath, never by bouncing.
Alignment
- Hands — joined overhead, or at the heart
- Feet — the front foot flexed; the back instep lying on the floor
- Knees — front kneecap to the sky, back kneecap to the floor, hips square
- Gaze — up to the thumbs, or the front toes
Entering the pose
- From a lunge, slide the front leg forward
- Keep the pelvis square as you descend
- Once seated, join the palms overhead
Common mistakes
- Forcing down with the hips split open
- Bouncing into the hamstring
Modifications & props
- The half split — back knee down, front leg extending — with pelvis square teaches eight-tenths of this pose.
- Blocks under both hands, a bolster under the front thigh: when the floor rises to meet you, the pelvis keeps honestly facing front.
- Squareness outranks depth — an aligned pose in the air beats a crooked one on the floor.
Benefits
- Hamstrings and hip flexors to their fullest length
- Deep flexibility with a squared pelvis
- A bodily lesson in not hurrying
Role in the sequence
The front-to-back split modeled on the monkey god Hanuman's leap, closing the Advanced A selections. Front hamstring and rear hip-front — two directions trained separately all series long — open maximally at once along a single line. Set after the violent backbends and arm balances, this symmetric, quiet shape settles the excerpt chapter to its close.
Practice notes
Hanuman is the monkey god who leapt across the ocean in one bound to help Rama. The full front splits is said to depict that leap, so the name itself carries the idea of a great jump.
It is known as a flexibility pose, but two places actually have to open: the hamstring of the front leg and the front of the hip — the psoas — of the back leg. Open only one and the legs will still descend some way, but the pelvis skews, and staying there banks up strain in the groin and the knee.
Blocks are the safe progression. A block under each hand, the pelvis squared to the front, and descending only as far as that squareness survives is far more accurate practice than touching the floor. Keeping the kneecap of the back leg pointing down at the floor is the key to keeping the pelvis square.
Two checks: is the back leg rolling out, or does its kneecap still face the floor, and is there any sharp pain behind the front knee? Pain at the hamstring attachment heals extremely slowly, so in this pose especially, going slightly less far is always the better trade.
Stack blocks under the front leg and lower slowly. Never bounce.
Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: .
This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, injured, or have a medical condition, consult a qualified teacher or physician before practising. Disclaimer & Legal Notice
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