Triangle Pose
What Is the Triangle Pose?
Triangle Pose is a compound exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings and also engages the inner thighs, obliques, glutes and quadriceps. It is a beginner-level movement taught in most introductory yoga classes: a static hold in a wide stance with both legs straight, the torso tilted sideways over the front leg and the arms reaching in one vertical line from the floor to the ceiling.
The pose does two jobs at once. It lengthens the hamstrings and inner thigh of the front leg and opens the top side of the trunk, while the legs and the obliques on the lower side of the waist work to hold the torso up without leaning on the bottom hand. Known in Sanskrit as Utthita Trikonasana, it is one of the foundational standing poses of Iyengar and most hatha-style classes, and it usually sits early in a standing sequence, often right after Warrior II Pose and Extended Side Angle Pose, which share its stance.
Where the bottom hand goes sets how much stretch the front leg takes. A hand flat on the floor, as in the image, asks for the most hamstring and hip length, while a hand on the shin or on a block keeps the same shape with less depth. Nearby poses shift the emphasis further: Extended Side Angle Pose bends the front knee and puts the quadriceps to work, Pyramid Pose squares the hips forward for a more direct hamstring stretch, and Half Moon Pose lifts the back leg and turns the shape into a single-leg balance.
Triangle Pose suits anyone who wants hamstring and side-body mobility without lying on the floor, from runners and lifters in a cool-down or mobility block to people who sit for most of the day. If the stance feels unstable or the hamstrings are very tight, build the wide-legged base with Warrior II Pose and loosen up with the Standing Hamstring Stretch first, then use a block until the floor is in reach with a long spine.
Muscles Worked
- Biceps Femoris
- Primary
- Semimembranosus
- Primary
- Semitendinosus
- Primary
- Adductor Magnus
- High
- External Oblique
- High
- Gluteus Maximus
- Medium
- Gluteus Medius
- Medium
- Vastus Lateralis
- Medium
- Deltoid
- Low
Instructions
- Stand tall with your feet together and your arms by your sides.
- Step your feet wide apart, about one leg length, and raise your arms out to shoulder height with your palms facing down.
- Turn your front foot out so the toes point to the side you will tilt toward, and turn your back foot in slightly. Line up the front heel with the arch of the back foot.
- Turn your head to look over your front hand. Firm both thighs so both legs are straight, keeping the knees soft rather than locked.
- Reach your front arm out over your front leg, then tilt your torso sideways from the hip, keeping both sides of your waist long.
- Lower your front hand to the floor beside your front foot. If you cannot reach the floor without rounding your back, rest the hand on your shin or a block instead.
- Extend your top arm straight up so both arms form one vertical line, and stack your top shoulder over your bottom shoulder.
- Keep your chest turned to the side. Look down at the floor, straight ahead or up toward your top hand, whichever your neck allows comfortably.
- Hold for 5 to 10 slow breaths, then press through your back foot and lift your torso with a long spine to return to standing.
- Turn your feet to face the other way and repeat on the other side.
Common Mistakes
Locking the front knee
Pushing the front knee back into hyperextension hangs the body weight on the back of the knee instead of the thigh muscles.
Forcing the hand to the floor
Reaching for the floor before the hamstrings allow it rounds the spine and turns the pose into a forward fold.
Collapsing the chest toward the floor
Letting the top shoulder roll forward shortens the waist on the top side and loses the side-body stretch.
Stepping the feet too wide
A stance much wider than a leg length makes it easier to reach the floor but puts more load on the front leg and makes the pose harder to control.
Leaning on the bottom hand
Pressing body weight into the shin or knee strains the joint, when the legs and trunk should be holding the pose.
Cranking the neck to look up
Forcing the gaze to the top hand when the neck is stiff strains it, so look at the floor or straight ahead instead.
Injuries
Triangle Pose is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The places that take the strain are the front knee, the hamstring attachment at the sit bone of the front leg, the lower back and the neck, and nearly all of the risk comes from forcing depth rather than from the pose itself.
The front knee needs the most attention. In a motion-capture study of 13 experienced female yoga practitioners, Triangle Pose took the front knee further into extension and produced a larger knee adduction moment than Warrior II or a crescent lunge, so people with knees that hyperextend or with knee osteoarthritis should take particular care. Keep the front thigh muscles engaged with a soft, unlocked knee, and never prop body weight on the front knee or thigh with the bottom hand.
The hamstring tendon of the front leg is loaded hardest when the hand is forced toward the floor. Anyone with pain deep in the buttock crease should shorten the range with a hand on the shin or a block and a slightly softer front knee until it settles. Other regressions are a shorter stance and practicing with the back against a wall to keep the trunk from rolling toward the floor. Once the pose is steady with a long spine, Half Moon Pose is the natural progression.
Stop and come up slowly if you feel sharp pain behind the knee, at the sit bone or in the lower back, or if turning the head brings on dizziness, tingling or neck pain. People with neck problems or who get lightheaded in head-down positions should keep the gaze down at the floor and rise out of the pose slowly.
- Primary Focus
- Hamstrings
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Yoga
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Triangle Pose
The Triangle Pose is also known as:
- Utthita Trikonasana
- Trikonasana
- Extended Triangle Pose
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Does my hand have to touch the floor in Triangle Pose?
No. The hand can rest on the shin, the ankle or a yoga block, and a long spine with an open chest matters far more than how low the hand goes. The floor is the full expression for people whose hamstrings allow it without rounding.
- Q: How wide should my stance be?
About one leg length is a good starting point, adjusted until both legs can stay straight without strain. In a motion-capture study of 18 yoga practitioners, widening the stance increased the load on the front leg and reduced it on the back leg, so a shorter stance is a sensible way to ease off a sore front knee or hip.
- Q: Is Triangle Pose the same as Revolved Triangle?
No. Revolved Triangle (Parivrtta Trikonasana) squares the hips forward and twists the torso so the opposite hand reaches the floor, which makes it a rotation and balance challenge rather than the side-bending shape of Triangle Pose.
- Q: What is the difference between Triangle Pose and Extended Side Angle Pose?
Both use the same wide stance, but Triangle Pose keeps the front leg straight for a hamstring and side-body stretch, while Extended Side Angle Pose bends the front knee to about 90 degrees and puts more work into the front thigh.
- Q: Where should I look in Triangle Pose?
Up toward the top hand is traditional, but looking at the floor or straight ahead is just as valid and is the better choice for anyone with neck discomfort or who feels dizzy.
- Q: How long should I hold Triangle Pose?
A common hold is 5 to 10 slow breaths on each side. Some styles, such as Iyengar yoga, hold standing poses longer once the alignment is steady.