Utthita Parsvokonasana/Extended Right Angle Pose

From warrior II with the right foot forward, heel to heel alignment and the feet a legs distance apart.  Place your right hand palm to the floor or a block on the pinky toe side of your foot, fingers face forward like the right toes. Drop the left arm down and bring it around and up so that the arm extends over the head and the left ear and bicep are approaching each other. Rotate the chest to the left and feel a long diagonal line from the outer edge of your back foot  through your left finger tips keeping the spine and back leg and top arm in one line. Relax your left shoulder away from your left ear. Keep a deep bend in the right knee forming a right angle so the knee is directly over the ankle. Send energy into the back leg so that you are not collapsing into the front leg. Keep the torso lifting and opening preventing it from resting on the front leg. There is so much going on physically in this pose it is important to remain focused and to breath deeply exploring the all of the mini movements and adjustments created by breath. This adds a deeper understanding of the pose.

Physical benefits- This posture works the hamstrings and the quadriceps of the front leg and in so doing it strengthens the knees and ankles. Utthita Parsvakonasana also provides a nice stretch in the groin. The muscles of the torso are also working to rotate, extend and hold the pose .This helps to tone the waist and hips. BKS Iyengar says that this pose relieves sciatic and arthritic pains and also increases peristaltic activity and aids elimination.

Spiritual benefits- Utthita Parsvakonasana is a standing posture, which primarily works the 1st chakra and then the 2nd chakra. The effect is grounding. Leaving one feeling a sense of steadiness and connection to the earth, the body.