Extended Leg Pose · Uttana Padasana

Uttana Padasana · 우타나 파다사나 · 다리 뻗어 들기

Primary Series · Yoga Chikitsa (Yoga Therapy) — Finishing Sequence

Breath: 8 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip

Keeping fish pose's chest arch, raise the joined legs to forty-five degrees and extend the arms parallel, palms together. An unusual pairing of open throat and hard-working core that rebalances neck and back after the inversions.

Alignment

Hands — palms joined, arms reaching at 45° parallel to the legs
Feet — together and pointed, lifted to 45 degrees
Knees — straight, inner legs squeezing strongly
Gaze — the nose tip, the chest arch and crown contact unbroken

Entering the pose

From fish pose, lift the joined legs to 45°
Extend the arms parallel, palms together
Hold the chest arch while breathing

Common mistakes

The arch collapsing into the lower back
Chasing leg height with a cranked neck

Modifications & props

Separate the arch from the lift — first stage: back flat on the floor, legs alone rising to forty-five degrees.
Bending the knees and lifting only the shins points the core's work in the same direction.
A half-form with the arms resting on the floor, legs extended alone, validly holds this pose's place in the sequence.

Benefits

Wakes the core with the throat still open
The completing counterpart of fish pose
Rebalances neck and back after the inversions

Role in the sequence

Holding Matsyasana's arch, the legs and arms extend to forty-five degrees — a pose of release turned, for a moment, into a pose of strength. It revives the front body's tone after the loosening of the inversions, re-binding the trunk into one firm axis before Sirsasana arrives. The last place in finishing where the core works this hard.

Practice notes

Uttana means intensely extended and pada means leg: legs extended and lifted. It is the twin that follows Matsyasana, changing only the arms and legs. The arch of the chest and the crown on the floor stay exactly as they were while both legs and both arms stretch straight out at about forty-five degrees and float.

The parts actually working through the eight breaths are the belly and the thighs. It looks like a backbend, but holding the legs up demands continuous abdominal engagement, which makes this the last place in the finishing sequence that asks for strength. After it, only the headstand, the lotus and savasana remain.

Thirty degrees off the floor is plenty for the legs, and the toes do not need to rise above eye level. Lifting them too high tips the pelvis under and unwinds the arch in the chest that the pose is built around. The palms press together and reach parallel to the legs, and the shoulders stay far from the ears.

Two checks: is the sensation the belly working rather than a gripping ache in the lower back, and is the neck comfortable? If either the neck or the back objects, bend the knees, put the soles on the floor, and simply keep the chest open. By this point the body has practised for the better part of an hour, so the last strength pose is exactly the one to be modest with.

Skip the arch and lift only the legs if the neck complains.

Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: 2026-09-05.

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

Other poses in this sequence

Ashtanga Shala — Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga guide · Blog