While not commonly a yoga pose, these side lunges can be a great way to stretch the groin (inner thigh or adductor muscles) and hamstrings (back of the thigh). As they can be a deep stretch, it’s quite helpful to move in and out of these lunges shifting side to side.
There are many variations, but here’s one of the most common. Pay attention to the feet which affects the position of your legs and hips, and ultimately the stretch.
- Start with your feet wide apart – about a metre or so depending on the length of your legs. Your feet should start parallel but they move as you move.
- Bend your knees, dropping your hips into a squat so you can easily reach your hands to the ground.
- Bend your left knee, shift your hips left and walk your hands to the left side.
- Now the feet! Lift your left heel so that your left leg can move into a deeper squat. At the same time, roll on to your right heel, rolling your right toes and right knee to face up. These two actions will let you move deeper into the lunge – as usual only as far as it’s comfortable.
- Reverse this movement to shift to the other side. Then try moving back and forth.
Tips for a deeper or different stretch:
- Try lifting your tailbone or think of sticking your butt out behind you. Try this action at different levels of how low you are to the ground. Also try the opposite of letting your tailbone tip down.
- When you are down in the lunge, press the heel of the straight leg into the ground. Then imagine trying to drag your hips away from the heel you are pressing down. Be careful not to lock your knee.
Side lunges 101
