Steps
- From hands and knees, step one foot forward between the hands.
- Lower the back knee. Pad it with a blanket. Untuck the toes if that feels kinder.
- Hands can stay on blocks beside the front foot, or on the front thigh.
- Shift the hips forward a little. Keep the front knee over the ankle. Switch sides.
What this pose may help with
These lines describe why people practice the shape. A pose may help with ordinary stiffness or with settling your attention. They are not claims that the pose treats or cures a condition.
- Lengthens the front of the hip, which often feels short after sitting.
- A building block for Warrior I.
- Easy to make smaller.
Common mistakes
- The front knee shooting far past the ankle.
- Dropping into a big backbend and pinching the lower back.
- The back knee on a hard floor with no padding.
Modifications
- Hands on blocks.
- Less forward shift. Even a small shift is the pose.
Safety
- Knee pain in the back knee: more padding, or take a standing high lunge instead.
- Front-knee pain: shorten the stance.
- Skip deep lunges if a clinician has limited your hip extension.
If you are pregnant, injured, or dealing with back pain, consult a doctor before you follow this page. Stop for sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, or chest pain. This is movement education, not a diagnosis or a treatment. Read the medical disclaimer.
Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana, said ahn-jah-nay-AHS-uh-nuh) is listed here as a Beginner Kneeling pose. The body area it emphasizes is Hips. One foot forward, the back knee down. You are looking for space in the front of the back hip, not a deep backbend.
Read the steps in order. Set the pose up before you try to deepen it. The first mistake called out on this page is: The front knee shooting far past the ankle. That line is there because the usual error is doing too much, not because a tighter shape is a better practice. The modifications keep the same idea when the full shape does not fit today. Use them on purpose. They are part of the pose, not a demotion.
People practice Low Lunge for a plain reason: Lengthens the front of the hip, which often feels short after sitting. That “may help” is a description of why the shape is in a beginner library. It is not a claim that the pose treats, cures, or prevents a condition. Knee pain in the back knee: more padding, or take a standing high lunge instead.
If you are pregnant, returning from an injury, or your back has been painful, consult a doctor before you practice Low Lunge. A safety note on a website is education. It is not clearance. Sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, or pain that runs down a leg is a reason to stop and get care, not a reason to hold the shape longer. The medical disclaimer on this site says the same thing in more detail.
When you are done, come out slowly. One calm repetition you can repeat tomorrow is the point of the page. Pair Low Lunge with a short routine from this site if you want a sequence, and keep the timer as a guide you are allowed to pause.