LizardSave PDF
Utthan Pristhasana
OOT-ahn prish-TAH-sah-nah
Opens hips, groins and hamstrings
Stretches abdominal organs
Increases energy
How to perform Lizard
- Begin in Downward Facing Dog. Reach your right leg toward the sky with an inhale.
- Place your right foot outside of your right hand with an exhale.
- Lower your elbows to the floor underneath your shoulders, forearms parallel. Check that your right knee is aligned over your ankle.
- Hold the pose and take slow, deep breaths.
- Rise onto your hands with an inhale. Reach your right leg up and back with an exhale, then return to Downward Facing Dog. Change sides.
Alignment cues
- Extend heart forward
- Align knee over ankle
- Draw shoulder blades together
- Hug right knee in
Modification: Rest your back knee on the floor or rest your forearms on a block.
Avoid this pose if you have knee injury.
Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
More yoga poses to discover
Equestrian · Ashwa Sanchalanasana
Half Spinal Twist · Ardha Matsyendrasana
Five Pointed Star · Utthita Tadasana
Lizard (Utthan Pristhasana in Sanskrit) is an intermediate yoga pose that belongs to the hip openers and standing categories. This asana targets glutes & hip flexors and hamstrings, and also involves ankles, knees, quadriceps and spine muscles. Lizard stretches abdominal organs; opens hips, groins and hamstrings and also increases energy. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this posture correctly. Discover more yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises in our free yoga pose directory – a visual resource for yoga teacher training students as well as practitioners of all levels. Finally, shop our best-selling Yoga Cards products!
Exercise illustration licensing: Our exercise and yoga pose illustrations (static and animated) are selectively available for licensing for commercial and non-commercial projects. Visit our exercise illustrations licensing page for detailed information and to submit in inquiry.
©
Our exercise illustrations represent original artwork registered with and protected by the U.S. Copyright Office. Unauthorized use violators will be prosecuted. More details.
Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
