Stand in Tadasana. With an exhalation, step or lightly jump your feet 3 1/2 to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor and reach them actively out to the sides, shoulder blades wide, palms down.
Step 2:
Turn your left foot in slightly to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Align the right heel with the left heel. Firm your thighs and turn your right thigh outward, so that the center of the right knee cap is in line with the center of the right ankle.
Step 3:
Exhale and extend your torso to the right directly over the plane of the right leg, bending from the hip joint, not the waist. Anchor this movement by strengthening the left leg and pressing the outer heel firmly to the floor. Rotate the torso to the left, keeping the two sides equally long. Let the left hip come slightly forward and lengthen the tailbone toward the back heel.
Step 4:
Rest your right hand on your shin, ankle, or the floor outside your right foot, whatever is possible without distorting the sides of the torso. Stretch your left arm toward the ceiling, in line with the tops of your shoulders. Keep your head in a neutral position or turn it to the left, eyes gazing softly at the left thumb.
Step 5:
Stay in this pose for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Inhale to come up, strongly pressing the back heel into the floor and reaching the top arm toward the ceiling. Reverse the feet and repeat for the same length of time to the left.
Beginner's Tip:
Brace your back heel or the back of your torso against a wall if you feel unsteady in the pose.
Modifications and props:
If it isn't possible to comfortably touch the floor with the bottom hand or fingertips, support the palm on a block.
Deepen the pose:
For more experienced students, align the front heel with the back foot arch.
Partnering:
A partner can help you learn how to move into this pose properly. Have your partner stand in front of your forward foot, facing you. Inhale the forward arm up, parallel to the floor. Your partner can grasp your wrist and wedge his/her big toe into the forward hip crease. As you exhale, have your partner pull on your arm and push into your hip crease, stretching the underside of your torso.
Info
utthita = extended
trikona = three angle or triangle
Benefits:
Stretches and strengthens the thighs, knees, and ankles
Stretches the hips, groins, hamstrings, and calves; shoulders, chest, and spine
Stimulates the abdominal organs
Helps relieve stress
Improves digestion
Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
Relieves backache, especially through second trimester of pregnancy
Therapeutic for anxiety, flat feet, infertility, neck pain, osteoporosis, and sciatica
Therapeutic Applications:
Stress
Contraindications and Cautions:
Diarrhea
Headache
High blood pressure
Low blood pressure
Heart Condition
Neck problems: Don't turn your head to look upward; continue looking straight ahead and keep both sides of the neck evenly long.
