Both Big Toes Pose (Boat with Toe Hold) anatomy

Both Big Toes Pose (Boat with Toe Hold) · Ubhaya Padangusthasana · Tư thế con thuyền nắm ngón chân cái

Both Big Toes Pose (Boat with Toe Hold) mainly works iliopsoas, quadriceps, rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis; it stretches hamstrings, gastrocnemius; obliques, multifidus, adductors stabilize.

Opening the 3D model…

Sit with the knees bent and the feet on the floor; hook both big toes with the index and middle fingers. Lean back slightly to balance just behind the sit bones, lift the feet and slowly straighten both legs up toward the ceiling into a V, legs together. The spine is long, the chest lifted, the shoulders away from the ears and the elbows nearly straight; the gaze is up to the toes or forward. Compared with Boat Pose, the legs are closer to the torso and the hands hold the toes, so the backs of the legs stretch more. The hip flexors and abdominals hold the legs up, the back muscles keep the chest open, and the hamstrings and calves stretch. If the back rounds or the hamstrings are tight, keep the knees bent and hold the backs of the thighs or use a strap; with tailbone pain, sit on a folded blanket.

Muscles in this pose

Working (contracting): Iliopsoas, Quadriceps, Rectus abdominis, Transversus abdominis, Erector spinae

Stretching: Hamstrings, Gastrocnemius

Stabilizing: Obliques, Multifidus, Adductors, Biceps brachii, Rhomboid major, Trapezius

Why these muscles work or stretch

• Iliopsoas · Working (contracting): Holds the legs up and the torso upright
• Quadriceps · Working (contracting): Straightens the knees; rectus femoris assists hip flexion
• Erector spinae · Working (contracting): Keeps the back long and the chest lifted, not collapsed
• Hamstrings · Stretching: Main stretch, with the legs straight close to the torso
• Adductors · Stabilizing: Squeezes the legs together
• Biceps brachii · Stabilizing: The hands hold the big toes, keeping the legs close
• Rhomboid major · Stabilizing: Draws the shoulders back to open the chest
• Trapezius · Stabilizing: Lower fibers draw the shoulders away from the ears

Practice cues

• Balance just behind the sit bones, not rolling onto the tailbone
• Lift the chest and lengthen the spine first, then straighten the knees
• Keep the shoulders away from the ears and the legs together

Benefits

• Strengthens the hip flexors, abdominals and back muscles
• Stretches the hamstrings and calves
• Trains balance and focus

Cautions / contraindications

• Avoid with a herniated disc or acute low back pain
• Avoid in pregnancy or after recent abdominal surgery
• Take care with tailbone pain or a hamstring injury; sit on a folded blanket and bend the knees

Easier variations

• Keep the knees bent and hold the backs of the thighs or the shins
• Loop a strap around both soles to straighten the knees while the back stays long

General information, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or teacher.

Written and reviewed by Yoga An Viên center · Updated 24/10/2026

How to practice this pose (YogaWay, in Vietnamese)

Related poses

• Boat Pose Paripurna Navasana
• Staff Pose Dandasana
• Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend Upavistha Konasana
• Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
• Upward Extended Feet Pose (Leg Raises 90°) Urdhva Prasarita Padasana
• Supine Tabletop Supta Bharmanasana

A free community project by Yoga An Viên center · Model: Z-Anatomy (CC BY-SA 4.0), based on BodyParts3D © DBCLS (CC BY-SA 2.1 JP)