Intense Side Stretch (Pyramid Pose) anatomy

Intense Side Stretch (Pyramid Pose) · Parsvottanasana · Tư thế kim tự tháp

Intense Side Stretch (Pyramid Pose) mainly works quadriceps, iliopsoas (right); it stretches hamstrings (right), gastrocnemius, gluteus maximus (right), soleus (left); tibialis anterior (right), fibularis group (left), gluteus medius stabilize.

3D anatomy model of Intense Side Stretch (Pyramid Pose): working muscles in red, stretching in blue, stabilizing in yellow

Opening the 3D model…

With both legs straight, one forward and one back, square your hips and fold your torso over the front leg, hands on the floor or blocks. The front leg's hamstrings and the back leg's gastrocnemius get a strong stretch.

Muscles in this pose

Working (contracting): Quadriceps, Iliopsoas (right)

Stretching: Hamstrings (right), Gastrocnemius, Gluteus maximus (right), Soleus (left), Erector spinae, Multifidus

Stabilizing: Tibialis anterior (right), Fibularis group (left), Gluteus medius, Adductors, Transversus abdominis, Triceps brachii

Why these muscles work or stretch

Quadriceps · Working (contracting): Contracts so the hamstrings can release (reciprocal inhibition)
Hamstrings · Stretching: The main stretch
Gastrocnemius · Stretching: Lengthens as the back heel presses down
Gluteus medius · Stabilizing: Keeps the hips square
Triceps brachii · Stabilizing: Supports the hands on the floor or blocks

Practice cues

Draw your front hip back to square your hips
Hinge at the hips; lengthen your chest toward your front foot
Press your back heel into the floor

Benefits

Strongly stretches the hamstrings of the front leg
Stretches the calf of the back leg
Trains balance and keeping the hips square
Builds awareness of hinging from the hips

Cautions / contraindications

Avoid deep folding with an acute lumbar disc problem
Use caution with a strained or torn hamstring: bend the front knee slightly
Use caution with uncontrolled high blood pressure or glaucoma: keep the head up
Poor balance: set the feet wider apart side to side

Easier variations

Place your hands on blocks on either side of the front foot
Bend the front knee slightly and shorten the stance

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

Written and reviewed by Yoga An Viên center · Updated 18/10/2026

How to practice this pose (YogaWay, in Vietnamese)

Related poses

Standing Forward Fold Uttanasana
Wide-Legged Forward Bend Prasarita Padottanasana
Hand-Under-Foot Pose Padahastasana
Head-to-Knee Forward Bend Janu Sirsasana
Marichi’s Pose I (Seated Forward Bend) Marichyasana I
Standing Half Forward Bend Ardha Uttanasana

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)