Extended hand to foot-Utthita Hasta Pandangustasana
This is a challenging balancing pose you may choose to stop at any step along the way to the full extent of the pose. Begin in Mountain pose. Bring hands to the hips. Find your dristi/focus and feel your mula and udhyana bhanda engaged. Transfer your weight into your left foot, leg and side of the body. Bend your right knee and lift your leg up. You may hold onto the knee with the right hand and stay here and breathe, or you may hold the big toe in yogic toe lock and begin to straighten the knee bringing the leg up high and extended. Root into the standing leg, arch your back and breathe. Take the leg out to the side, 5 breaths and back. (For more challenge bring the knee and nose to touch.) Take hands to hips and hold the leg up, toe pointed, for 5 more breaths. Release leg to the floor. Repeat on other side.
Physical benefits
This posture strengthens and stretches legs both quads and hamstrings. It also strengthens the core and improves posture and balance. It is a powerful pose that creates heat and warms and opens the body to enter deeper poses. It requires focus and concentration and helps to develop these qualities as well.
Spiritual benefits
The pose when accomplished leaves one feeling grounded, focused and powerful. Because it is a very challenging pose it can also be humbling and help one to move away from ego.
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