Anjaneyasana

Named for Anjaneya, the son of the wind — better known as Hanuman — the low lunge carries his quality: the great forward-reaching devotion of the leap toward Lanka, caught mid-step. Though modern in form, it serves the classical aim: it opens the hip flexors and the front of the body, the regions that must lengthen before the backbends and the deep seats can be approached. The tradition teaches that the front of the pelvis holds the residues of sitting and striving; this pose is the daily antidote, practised at the start of nearly every modern sequence.

• Stretches the hip flexors and quadriceps of the back leg, regions tightened by prolonged sitting
• Opens the chest and front shoulders when the arms lift overhead
• Strengthens the front leg's quadriceps and glutes in the lunge position
• Improves balance and hip stability through the grounded low-lunge base

1. From hands and knees or downward dog, step the right foot forward between the hands.
2. Lower the left knee to the floor, pad it generously, and untuck the toes.
3. Sink the hips forward and down until the front of the left hip opens; keep the front knee over the ankle.
4. Rest the hands on the front thigh, or raise the arms and lift the chest.
5. Hold for five to ten breaths, then step back and change sides.

• Front knee travelling past the toes — walk the front foot forward until the knee stacks directly over the ankle.
• Back leg's knee unpadded on a hard floor — use a folded blanket under the back knee for comfort.
• Overarching the lower back when reaching the arms up — lengthen the tailbone down and draw the front ribs in rather than dumping into the lumbar spine.
• Front hip jutting to one side — square the hips forward by drawing the front hip crease back and the back hip forward.

• Low lunge with hands on blocks: keep the hands grounded beside the front foot for more stability while the hip stretch develops.
• Quad stretch variation: reach back and hold the back foot with the same-side hand for an added quadriceps stretch.
• Crescent Lunge (arms high, back knee lifted): lift the back knee off the floor for a more active, standing version.
• Restorative version: rest the back shin and top of the foot on a bolster or blanket for a gentler hold.

The lunge is usually paired with an inhale as the arms rise and the chest opens, and a steady exhale to ground the back foot and stabilise the pelvis, making it a common transitional shape within flowing sequences.

Framed through devotion to Hanuman, son of the wind god, the pose carries the quality of reaching forward with the whole body, often used to cultivate courage and openness before deeper backbends or hip work.

The low lunge is one of the most effective stretches for the hip flexors, particularly the psoas, which shortens in everyone who sits for long hours. Research links chronic hip-flexor tightness to lower-back pain and reduced hip extension in walking, and regular lunging to improvements in both. The kneeling position loads the patella, which is easily managed with padding; the pose is otherwise accessible to almost every body.