I love a good frog pose, but for many, it’s a love/hate pose! Frog gets intense quickly and it can bring up a lot of discomfort for you or your students. This pose is a great opportunity to practice finding your edge and knowing when to back off.
Get into Frog Pose Step-by-Step
- Come to face the long edge of your mat in a tabletop position. Your knees resting on the mat. You may fold your mat over once or twice to create padding for your knees.
- Begin to widen your knees until you reach a point of stretch in your inner thighs. Keep your hips aligned with your knees and toes pointing out. The inside of your feet should be on the ground.
- Guide your heels directly behind and in line with your knees. Flex your feet.
- Come down onto your elbows, your belly, or lay on a bolster vertically.
Benefits
- Physical: A very hip inner thigh opener. Lots of compression for the hips and there may even be some lower back compression. This pose is said to help with digestion, stomach, and menstrual cramps.
- Energetic: The Spleen, Kidney, and Liver meridians are targeted.
- Emotional & Mental: Frog pose may invite irritation, annoyance, and fidgets as it activates the root and sacral chakras. The intensity of this pose can be a lot for you or your students to work through.
Contraindications
- May irritate sciatica. Draw knees closer together or place a bolster under torso and groin to rest on.
- For any pain on the inner legs or knees either draw knees closer together to lesser intensity or draw toes closer together.
- If lower back pain or pinching is felt avoid rounding the spine. Lay on a bolster or blocks.
Variations
- Tadpole: A less intense variation of frog. Instead of having the heels in line with the knees, point your toes and draw them together.
- Wide-legged child’s pose could be a better option.
Get Out of the Pose
- Come up onto your hands.
- Draw your heels in and then your knees, moving bit by bit until you reach a tabletop position.
Counter Poses
- Child’s pose with knees together.
- Cat/cow.
How Long to Hold Frog?
- 1-3 minutes for beginners or if the pose is new for you.
- Up to 5 minutes for “advanced” students.