The Kriya Yogi logo — Om symbolThe Kriya Yogi

Skandasana

Side Lunge Pose

Skanda = a name of Kartikeya, the son of Shiva

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

A deep side lunge: one knee bent in a squat, the other leg straight with the toes turned up.

Family
Standing
Level
intermediate
Lineage
modern
Works on
hips · hamstrings · ankles

The yogic view

A modern posture whose name is borrowed from tradition; the shape as taught today comes from the twentieth-century repertoire.

How to practise

  1. From a wide standing straddle, turn the right toes out slightly.
  2. Bend the right knee deeply and sit the hips down and back over the right foot.
  3. Straighten the left leg, turning the toes up and resting on the heel.
  4. Bring the hands to the floor, a block, or together at the chest.
  5. Keep the chest lifted and the right knee tracking over the right foot.
  6. Hold five breaths, then shift across to the other side.

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

The bent-leg side works through deep hip flexion and ankle dorsiflexion while the straight leg lengthens the adductors and hamstring. Lifting the squatting heel is common and usually means the ankle, not the hip, is the limit — a folded mat under that heel fixes it honestly. Keeping the squatting knee tracking over the foot rather than collapsing inward is what protects the joint.

Questions about Skandasana

+ How long should you hold Skandasana?
Hold Skandasana for five to eight slow breaths, which is roughly thirty to forty-five seconds, and repeat once or twice if you want more from it. Where the posture is one-sided, practise both sides for the same length of time. Let the breath decide: if it becomes short, held or noisy, you have stayed too long or gone too deep.
+ Is Skandasana suitable for beginners?
Not as a first posture. Skandasana is an intermediate standing 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 Skandasana?
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 Skandasana?
For Skandasana specifically: knee injury; hip injury; ankle 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 Skandasana?
Prepare with Malasana (Garland Pose (Yogi Squat)), Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bend). Release afterwards with Tadasana (Mountain Pose), Balasana (Child's 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 Skandasana mean in Sanskrit?
Skandasana translates as side lunge pose — Skanda = a name of Kartikeya, the son of Shiva 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
  • hip injury
  • ankle injury

More standing

Keep reading

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