Common mistakes in Asana Alignment – Side Angle Pose

Yoga Asana Workshop – Alignment of Side Angle Pose and Common Mistakes

Side Angle Pose is called Parsvakonasana and is a very common almost fundamental posture found in almost all western Hatha Yoga based styles from Ashtanga Vinyasa to Power and Vinyasa Yogas. 

Side Angle pose brings benefits to the lower body by strengthening the legs as well as the the trunk, torso and the internal organs within.  It is a powerful extension and stabilizing experience that opens the side body and the fascia under the skin.  Like all Yoga Poses when practiced everyday the benefits become clear in daily life with more strength and grace.

Many students however practice Parsvakonasana incorrectly.  As demonstrated in the top image many students keep their feet too close together and thus are forced to thrust their hip out of line. This tendency to have the legs too close together and force the hip up also creates compression of the kidney which we would prefer to avoid.

These pics were taken at my Yoga Teacher Training program in Miami during an asana alignment workshop demonstrating commonly seen asana alignment mistakes and the ways to correct them.