Bhekasana

Frog Pose

bheka = frog

Written and reviewed by The Kriya Yogi · Updated 21 September 2026

A prone backbend with both feet pressed towards the floor beside the hips, working the front thighs and ankles.

Family: Backbends
Level: intermediate
Lineage: modern
Works on: thighs · ankles · chest

The yogic view

The Gheranda Samhita names a mandukasana — frog posture — but describes a kneeling seat, not this prone backbend. The pose taught today under the name bhekasana belongs to the twentieth-century Mysore lineage, so we keep the two names distinct.

How to practise

Lie face down, forehead on the mat, elbows tucked in.
Bend both knees and take hold of the outside of each foot.
Rotate the hands so the fingers point forward and the heels sit beside the hips.
Lift the chest and press both feet down and back towards the floor.
Keep the knees no wider than the hips and the neck long.
Hold five breaths, release slowly, then rest in balasana.

For seated or floor-based work, use a clean, stable surface. Our natural cork yoga mat offers a grounded 5 mm surface for regular practice.

What research shows

Pressing the feet towards the floor lengthens the quadriceps and the front of the ankle while the spine extends, so three areas limit the shape at once. Turning the hands so the fingers point forward before pressing protects the wrist and lets the shoulder do the work. Knee pain here almost always means the hips are lifting or the feet are drifting outward, not that the thighs are too tight.

Questions about Bhekasana

+ How long should you hold Bhekasana?

Backbends are better repeated than sustained. Hold Bhekasana for three to six breaths and repeat two or three times, resting between rounds, instead of holding one long deep version. Let the breath decide: if it becomes short, held or noisy, you have stayed too long or gone too deep.

+ Is Bhekasana suitable for beginners?

Not as a first posture. Bhekasana is an intermediate backbends shape: it assumes you can already hold the foundational postures for around eight calm breaths and move in and out of them with control. Most people are ready after a few months of regular practice, and the preparatory postures listed on this page are the honest route in.

+ What are the modifications for Bhekasana?

Work with the shape rather than around it: reduce the range, shorten the lever by bending the nearest joint, and raise the floor toward you. Three adjustments apply to almost any posture: raise the hips on a folded blanket or cushion in seated work, bend the knees in anything that loads the back of the legs, and use a wall, chair or block to take weight and remove the fear of falling. A supported version practised often produces more change than a deep version practised rarely.

+ Who should avoid or modify Bhekasana?

For Bhekasana specifically: knee injury; lower back injury. More generally, modify or skip it if you have an acute injury or recent surgery in the area it loads, if you are pregnant and have not been given individual guidance, or if the shape produces sharp, pinching, radiating or electric sensation. Numbness, tingling or pain travelling down a limb is a nerve signal to stop and be assessed, not to breathe through. This page is educational and is not medical advice.

+ What should you practise before and after Bhekasana?

Prepare with Salamba Bhujangasana (Sphinx Pose), Dhanurasana (Bow Pose). Release afterwards with Balasana (Child's Pose), Shavasana (Corpse Pose). Both lists are links on this page, and either can be shortened when time is limited — but do not skip preparation for a posture that loads a joint at end range.

+ What does Bhekasana mean in Sanskrit?

Bhekasana translates as frog pose — bheka = frog The name follows Sanskrit convention, but the posture itself is modern and is not described in the classical texts.

Prepare with

Release with

Cautions

knee injury
lower back injury

More backbends

Keep reading

Educational content, not medical advice. Check with a doctor before starting new practices if you have a health condition or are pregnant.