Eka Pada Uttana Padasana or One Raised Leg Pose

Eka pada Uttana Padasana at a Glance

How to Do Eka pada Uttana Padasana?

Follow the Step-by-Step Instructions

This pose is easy and excellent asana, which anyone can do with normal and good health. This can also be a preparatory pose for Ardha Halasana and Urdhva Prasarita Padasana.

To do a One Raised Leg Pose, be on a flat and soft surface, maybe lay a yoga mat on the ground. Do it in the morning on an empty stomach.

1. Lay down on the mat. Come to Supta Tadasana position. Take deep and gentle breaths and feel your abdomen going in and coming up. Relax for a while.
2. See that your legs are straight and stretched. Your hands are on the floor to the sides of your body and your palms should face the mat.
3. Breathe gently and deeply and raise your right leg to 45 degrees and then slowly to 60 degrees and then bring it to 90 degrees, or you can breathe in and fold the right knee to your chest and then slowly take it to 90 degrees.
4. When you bring it to 90 degrees, the toes point to the sky or ceiling.
5. When you do this process, see that your left is grounded to your mat, stretched, and not bent.
6. Don’t bend the right leg while you lift it; it should align with the hips.
7. Feel the stretch and pressure in this pose for about 15 to 20 seconds.
8. Hold the right leg for a few seconds per your comfort and feel the pressure in your abdomen.
9. Now exhale and bend your right knee or you can directly bring it with your stretched leg, down slowly to the mat.
10. Breathe in and relax for a while. Do it with your left leg and complete the cycle Eka pada Uttana Padasana.
11. Now breathe in and lift your other leg slowly by bending your knee, bringing it near your chest, and then lifting or can directly lift slowly to 90 degrees.
12. The leg on the floor should be straight and relaxed, your arms to the sides.
13. Hold this pose for a few seconds and then exhale and slowly and gently release the pose and bring it down to the mat. Relax, keep your legs a bit wide and loosen your leg muscles.
14. Feel the stretch in your abdomen, thighs, and arms, and relax.
15. After doing this on both legs, stay in the relaxing pose, keep your entire body relaxed, and breathe normally.
16. People who can’t lift to 90 degrees can use a yoga strap as a prop to lift their legs slowly and after good practice, you can do it without the strap.
17. Keep your shoulders and neck relaxed and don’t put any strain on lifting your legs.
18. Beginners can first start under the guidance of the yoga teacher.

What are the Benefits of Eka pada Uttana Padasana?

• This strengthens both the legs, thighs, and back muscles.
• Eka pada Uttana Padasana helps relieve your back pain and adds more flexibility to your lower back.
• In this pose, you need to balance your one leg, which helps to improve your balancing ability.
• It puts a good amount of pressure on your core, which helps to strengthen your core muscles.
• When you raise one leg, it gives a good stretch to the hip flexors and relieves the tension.
• This gives an excellent massage to your abdominal muscles and improves blood circulation, which helps to improve your digestion process and keeps you away from gas and bloating.
• It is a good pain reliever that strengthens your whole leg, including your thigh, calf, and ankle muscles.
• It is helpful for digestive and intestinal disorders and improves the function of reproductive organs.
• Regular practice of this asana can help you to increase your focus and concentration and help with your everyday life activities.
• This pose can be helpful for sportspersons, runners, and teenagers.

Health Conditions that Might Benefit from Eka pada Uttana Padasana

• This could help people suffering from indigestion problems and relieve constipation and abdominal and intestinal gases, strengthening the reproductive system.
• For People with poor posture, this asana could be beneficial to improve and maintain with practice.
• This can also help people with issues with the hamstring’s flexibility.
• It helps to strengthen your weak core muscles.
• This could be a benefit to people with Mild sciatica pain.

Safety and Precautions

• This pose is easy and relaxing, but precautions should be taken in some cases too.
• This is an easy pose but it’s better to start with a warm-up.
• People with any medical history should consult their healthcare professional before doing it.
• Even for beginners, it’s better to do it under the guidance of a trained yoga teacher.
• Breathe gently throughout the pose as breathing would ease the flexibility of the pose.
• Be careful about the alignment of the pose.
• For serious injuries, avoid doing this asana or contact your health care professional.
• Pregnant women should be careful and, first and foremost, should consult their doctor and ask if they can do the asana under a prenatal yoga teacher. They can use props or other comfortable support.

Common Mistakes

• Doing this asana on a hard surface. Always do it on a yoga mat or soft surface.
• While lifting your leg to 90 degrees, make it slow, and don’t do it fast. You can have a sprain or cramp.
• Don’t force your legs to make it straight if you feel pain. Keep them slightly bent.
• Always do it on an empty stomach. It is better in the morning.
• Breath is important for this yoga asana, so inhale while you lift your leg and exhale when bringing it down.
• Listen and respect your body and do accordingly.

Tips for One Raised Leg Pose

• Do a warm-up pose like Savasana or a Corpse Pose.
• Keep breathing throughout the pose.
• Don’t compromise on the alignment for Eka pada Uttana Padasana (one raised leg pose).
• This could be an easy pose but people can use props for better comfort.
• Let your shoulders be relaxed, and don’t strain your neck.
• Props like yoga straps can be used to support your raised leg.
• People with any injury or recent surgeries consult their doctor before doing it.

Physical Alignment Principles for One Raised Leg Pose

• First, lie down on the mat, breathe, and relax your body
• Ensure the surface is even and soft to get a proper alignment.
• Your both legs straight, arms on the sides of the body, palms facing down
• Breathe and lift your leg straight or by bending and bringing it to your chest and then raising it.
• Don’t bend your knees with the leg lifted and not the legs on the ground.
• The leg lifted should align with the hip and engage your core properly.
• When you hold the Raised leg, pose and breathe gently and slowly.
• When you want to get your legs down, make it slowly and exhale.
• After you bring down your legs, relax your lower and upper body in a corpse pose.

One Raised Leg Pose and Breath

• Breathe deeply and relax before you start the pose to energize yourself.
• When you get ready to start the pose, inhale deeply and, lift your leg, be aware of your body’s sensation.
• When your leg reaches the top, exhale and breathe normally.
• While you hold the pose, let your breath be normal and gentle.
• While leaving the Eka pada Uttana Padasana pose, exhale, let all your stress and tension out, and bring your legs down to the floor.
• For one or two seconds, be in with both your legs on the ground, breathe deeply, and feel the stretch and the power generated with your breath.
• Breathing conscious can help to relax the nervous system and release the negativity from your body and mind.

One Raised Leg Pose Variations

Variations exist so that everyone can do and benefit from the yoga asanas. So, even the Raised leg pose also has variations for easy and challenging people.

• You can use support under your hips, like a cushion or a folded blanket, if you have lower back pain.
• If you have issues bringing your leg to 90 degrees, use a yoga strap around your leg and hold the other end to raise it slowly. This is for the initial stage, then when you are ready, you can do without the strap.
• Ardha Ananda Balasana is lying on your back and bending your knee of one leg and bringing it to your chest.
• There are other variations like the Dead bug pose, Crossed leg variation, and raising alternate legs (like cycling).

Take Away

Eka Pada Uttana Padasana or One-Leg Raised Pose is a great asana to de-stress your lower body. This asana is done by lying on the back and raising one leg at a time. It strengthens legs, hip flexors and thighs and is good for the digestive system. Engages core muscles and strengthens them. This yoga asana will improve focus and concentration and will give you complete relaxation and calming effect on body and mind. Beginners should practice under a yoga instructor and those with health concerns should consult a doctor.

To practice Eka Pada Uttana Padasana and other basic poses join our 100-Hour Hatha Yoga TTC. This course covers foundational and intermediate poses and focuses on strength, flexibility and balance. For more in-depth study join our 200-Hour and 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Course which will give you in-depth instruction on various asanas and ensure proper technique and alignment. Also try our 14-Day Free Trial to experience our courses yourself. All our courses are certified by Yoga Alliance, USA and will benefit your mental and physical health and prepare you for a yoga career.