How to Do a Half Lotus Yoga Pose

Video Transcript

"GINA KENNEDY: We're going to move from Janu Sirsasana, or head to knee pose, into Ardha Padmasana, or half lotus pose. Faith is going to help us demonstrate this. So, Faith is going to extend her legs out into a seated Dandasana, or staff pose. So, she's going to lengthen up to the crown of her head and press out through the balls of her feet and her heels. Good. Drawing her toes back in towards her face. She's going to bend through her right foot and bring it in. Good. And then, allow her knee to come out to the side. Now in half lotus, we're trying to get the heel up to your opposite hip bone. Good. And so, what the block does is it helps elevate the floor up to the level where you can use this to press your knee into and open up even more. Good. She's going to inhale and lengthen up. And then, she's going to exhale and fold forward. Good. Reaching the crown of her head towards her toe, keeping that nice, long spine. With each inhale, she lengthens and breathes length into her spine. And then with each exhale, she's sinks down a little deeper. Good. I'm going to ask Faith to come up just a minute because I want to show you this with a bind. She's going to take her arm behind her back and see if she can't reach onto her toe. And again, if your knee was on the ground, you may not be able to reach but the block elevates the knee up to a level where you can reach to the toe. Then, she's going to lengthen up through the crown of the head again and fold forward. And then, come into her long spine. There you go. Inhale lengthening and exhale sinking, sending her hip back, and then, lengthening out through the ball of her foot."