Half Bound Lotus Seated Forward Bend anatomy

Half Bound Lotus Seated Forward Bend · Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana · Tư thế gập người ngồi nửa hoa sen khóa tay

Half Bound Lotus Seated Forward Bend mainly works quadriceps (left), iliopsoas, subscapularis (right), rhomboid major (right); it stretches hamstrings (left), gastrocnemius (left), gluteus maximus (left), gluteus medius (right).

Opening the 3D model…

Sit with both legs straight. Use both hands to place the top of the right foot in the left hip crease, heel near the lower belly, the right knee lowering toward the floor. Reach the right arm back, wrap it behind the back to the left side and hold the right foot; the left hand holds the left foot. Inhale to lift the chest, exhale and fold from the hip joints over the left leg, keeping the bind and the right shoulder drawn back. The back of the left leg stretches strongly; the right hip turns out deeply and the knee bends fully, so the right ankle and outer hip stretch, and the right shoulder rotates inward and extends back, stretching the front of the shoulder, the right side of the chest and the shoulder external rotators. The half-lotus heel presses gently into the lower belly as you fold. If you can't reach the foot behind you, loop a strap around it or rest the right hand on the floor; with knee pain place the right foot on the floor instead of the thigh. In the 3D model the right hand reaches round the back only to the sacrum, not yet to the right foot, like the strap preparation.

Muscles in this pose

Working (contracting): Quadriceps (left), Iliopsoas, Subscapularis (right), Rhomboid major (right)

Stretching: Hamstrings (left), Gastrocnemius (left), Gluteus maximus (left), Gluteus medius (right), Gluteus minimus (right), Quadriceps (right), Tibialis anterior (right), Fibularis group (right), Adductors (right), Erector spinae, Multifidus, Quadratus lumborum, Latissimus dorsi (left), Infraspinatus (right), Teres minor (right), Pectoralis major (right), Deltoid (right), Biceps brachii (right)

Why these muscles work or stretch

• Quadriceps · Working (contracting): Firms the front thigh so the hamstrings release and the knee stays straight
• Iliopsoas · Working (contracting): Draws the trunk forward from the hip joints
• Subscapularis · Working (contracting): Turns the shoulder inward so the arm can wrap back and clasp the other hand
• Rhomboid major · Working (contracting): Draws the shoulder blade toward the spine to open the chest
• Hamstrings · Stretching: Main stretch, at the back of the straight leg
• Gluteus medius · Stretching: Front fibers stretch as the right hip turns out deeply
• Quadriceps · Stretching: Right knee fully bent
• Tibialis anterior · Stretching: Right foot pointed, resting in the left hip crease
• Fibularis group · Stretching: Ankle in inversion, sole turned up
• Adductors · Stretching: The half-lotus knee opens out to the side
• Erector spinae · Stretching: Lengthened as the back folds forward
• Latissimus dorsi · Stretching: Stretched as the left arm reaches for the foot
• Infraspinatus · Stretching: The shoulder external rotators lengthen as the shoulder turns inward
• Pectoralis major · Stretching: The chest on the side of the arm behind the back stretches as the shoulder extends
• Deltoid · Stretching: The front fibers stretch as the shoulder extends back
• Biceps brachii · Stretching: The long head stretches as the shoulder extends back

Practice cues

• Place the foot by turning out from the hip joint, never by twisting the knee
• Draw the right shoulder back before reaching for the foot
• Fold from the hip joints, lengthening the chest toward the foot; don't press the right knee down

Benefits

• Strongly stretches the back of the straight leg
• Deeply stretches the outer hip and ankle of the half-lotus leg
• Stretches the front of the shoulder, the chest and the shoulder external rotators

Cautions / contraindications

• Avoid with a knee, meniscus, knee ligament or ankle injury; stop at once if the knee hurts
• Avoid with a shoulder or rotator cuff injury
• Take care with a herniated disc or a hamstring injury; keep the back long and don't fold deeply

Easier variations

• Loop a strap around the right foot and hold it behind the back, or loop one around the left foot
• Set the right sole against the inner left thigh as in Head-to-Knee Pose and sit on a folded blanket

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

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

Related poses

• Marichi’s Pose B (Half Lotus Forward Bend) Marichyasana B
• Head-to-Knee Forward Bend B (Sitting on the Heel) Janu Sirsasana B
• Head-to-Knee Forward Bend C (Toes Tucked) Janu Sirsasana C
• Three-Limbed Forward Bend Trianga Mukha Eka Pada Paschimottanasana
• Head-to-Knee Forward Bend Janu Sirsasana
• Bird of Paradise Pose Svarga Dvijasana

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)