Fire Log Pose
AgnistambhasanaA seated pose with the shins stacked one over the other. A direct, symmetrical stretch for the outer hips and glutes, and a demanding one for most people.
- 01Sit on the edge of a folded blanket with the legs crossed.
- 02Stack the top shin directly over the bottom shin, ankle over knee and knee over ankle.
- 03Support the top knee on a block if it sits high off the bottom ankle.
- 04Keep the feet flexed to protect the knees and lengthen the spine upward.
- 05Stay upright or hinge slightly forward from the hips for eight to fifteen breaths, then switch the stack.
- 01Flex both feet — this keeps the work in the hip, not the knee.
- 02Block under the top knee until the hip lets it settle.
- 03Hinge from the hip crease, not from the waist.
- 01Pressing the top knee down, which torques the knee joint when the restriction is in the hip.
- 02Letting the feet go floppy, which allows rotation through the knee instead of the hip.
- 03Folding forward from a rounded lower back, which loads the spine and shortcuts the glute stretch.
Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.