Pyramid Pose
What Is the Pyramid Pose?
Pyramid Pose is a compound exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings and also engages the glutes, lower back and calves. It is a beginner-level movement taught in many introductory yoga classes: a static hold in a split stance with both legs straight, the hips squared to the front and the torso hinged forward over the front leg.
The pose lengthens the hamstrings of the front leg and the calf of the back leg at the same time, and because the hips face forward rather than open to the side, the stretch runs straight up the back of the front thigh. Known in Sanskrit as Parsvottanasana, often translated as Intense Side Stretch Pose, it entered modern yoga through Krishnamacharya and his students B.K.S. Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois, and it is a regular part of Iyengar, Ashtanga and most hatha-style standing sequences, usually after the wide-legged poses such as Triangle Pose.
The arms change the pose more than people expect. In the classic version the palms press together in reverse prayer behind the back, which adds a stretch across the chest and the front of the shoulders. Resting the hands on the floor or on blocks beside the front foot lets the torso fold deeper with support. The version in the image reaches the arms forward alongside the ears and keeps the back flat with the torso about parallel to the floor, which asks less of the hamstrings than a full fold but more of the back muscles, the shoulders and your balance, since nothing supports the upper body. Compared with nearby poses, Triangle Pose opens the hips and tilts the torso sideways, while Warrior I Pose uses a similar split stance with the front knee bent.
Pyramid Pose suits runners, lifters and anyone who sits for most of the day and wants hamstring mobility together with balance in a split stance, whether in a yoga class, a warm-up or a cool-down. If the hamstrings are very tight or the stance feels unsteady, start with the Standing Hamstring Stretch and Downward Dog, and practice the pose with your hands on blocks until you can hinge with a flat back.
Muscles Worked
- Biceps Femoris
- Primary
- Semimembranosus
- Primary
- Semitendinosus
- Primary
- Erector Spinae
- High
- Gluteus Maximus
- High
- Adductor Magnus
- Medium
- Deltoid
- Low
Instructions
- Stand tall with your feet together and your palms pressed together in front of your chest.
- Lift one knee to hip height and balance on the standing leg.
- Step the raised foot forward into a long lunge, about 3 to 4 feet, with the front toes pointing straight ahead.
- Set the back foot flat with the toes turned out about 30 to 45 degrees and the whole heel pressed down. Keep the feet about hip width apart side to side.
- Straighten your front leg, keeping the knee soft rather than locked, and draw the front hip back so both hips face forward.
- Sweep your arms overhead, reaching up through your fingertips with your shoulders away from your ears.
- Breathe out and hinge forward from the hips over the front leg, keeping your back flat and your arms reaching forward alongside your ears.
- Stop when your torso is about parallel to the floor, or sooner if your lower back starts to round. Keep your weight in both feet.
- Hold for 5 to 10 slow breaths, lengthening the spine forward on each inhale.
- Press through both feet and lift your torso with a long spine to return to upright, then lower your arms.
- Step your feet back together and repeat with the other leg in front.
Common Mistakes
Rounding the back
Curling the spine to bring the head toward the knee moves the stretch out of the hamstrings and into the lower back, so hinge from the hips and stop where the back stays flat.
Front hip swinging out
Letting the front hip drift forward and out turns the fold sideways and takes the stretch off the hamstrings, so draw the front hip back until both hip points face the front.
Locking the front knee
Pressing the front knee into hyperextension loads the back of the knee instead of the hamstrings, so keep the leg straight but the knee soft.
Back heel lifting
Letting the back heel rise or the foot roll onto its outer edge shrinks the base and loses the calf stretch, so shorten the stance until the whole heel stays down.
Feet on a tightrope
Lining the front heel up with the back heel narrows the base and makes the hips hard to square, so set the feet about hip width apart side to side.
Shrugging the shoulders
Letting the shoulders creep up to the ears as the arms reach forward tenses the neck, so reach long through the fingertips while drawing the shoulder blades toward the hips.
Injuries
Pyramid Pose is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. It is a static bodyweight hold, so the risk comes almost entirely from forcing depth: the places that take the strain are the hamstring attachment at the sit bone of the front leg, the lower back, the back of the front knee and, if the hips are forced square, the back knee and foot.
Repeatedly pulling deep into straight-leg forward folds is a common cause of irritation where the hamstring tendon attaches to the sit bone, so hinge only as far as the back stays flat, which for most people is about parallel to the floor, and keep a slight softness in the front knee rather than locking it. Draw the front hip back so the hips face forward as far as your stance allows, but if the back knee twists or the back foot rolls onto its outer edge, shorten the stance or set the feet a little wider side to side, and accept hips angled slightly toward the back leg rather than wrenching them square.
To make it easier, rest your hands on blocks or on the back of a chair, place your palms on a wall at hip height, or switch to the Standing Hamstring Stretch. To progress, hold for longer, bring the hands to the floor and the chest toward the front thigh with a long spine, or take the arms into reverse prayer behind the back.
Come out of the pose if you feel a sharp or deep ache at the sit bone, pain behind the knee, tingling or numbness down the leg, or dizziness. People with high blood pressure or a back injury should keep the torso no lower than parallel or use a wall for support, and anyone with an existing hamstring injury should check with a clinician before stretching into it.
- Primary Focus
- Hamstrings
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Yoga
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Pyramid Pose
The Pyramid Pose is also known as:
- Parsvottanasana
- Intense Side Stretch Pose
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is the difference between Pyramid Pose and Triangle Pose?
Both keep the front leg straight, but Triangle Pose opens the hips to the side and tilts the torso sideways, while Pyramid Pose squares the hips to the front and folds straight forward over the front leg. That makes Pyramid the more direct hamstring stretch.
- Q: Where should my arms go in Pyramid Pose?
The classic position is palms together in reverse prayer behind the back, and reaching the arms forward alongside the ears, as in the image, is a common variation that works the back and shoulders harder. If either makes you wobble, rest your hands on blocks beside the front foot or on your hips.
- Q: Does Pyramid Pose strengthen the legs or just stretch them?
It is mainly a stretch, but the front leg also works to hold the hinge. In a biomechanics study of 20 older adults practicing a chair-supported version with the torso no lower than parallel, the front leg showed the highest hamstring muscle activity and the largest hip-extensor demand of the seven standing yoga poses tested.
- Q: Should I bend my front knee?
Keep it straight but soft rather than locked. If your hamstrings are very tight or you feel pulling right at the sit bone, a clear bend in the front knee is a better choice than rounding your back to reach further.
- Q: What if my back heel lifts or I keep losing my balance?
Shorten the stance, set your feet about hip width apart side to side instead of heel to heel, and turn the back toes out a little more. Hands on blocks or on a wall also steady the pose while you build the balance to reach forward unsupported.
- Q: How long should I hold Pyramid Pose?
A common hold is 5 to 10 slow breaths on each side. Lengthen the spine forward on each inhale and only fold a little further on the exhale if the back stays flat.