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Yoga is very effective for mental, physical and spiritual well-being. It is called Utthita Hasta Padangustasana in Sanskrit and helps in improving posture and balance. It is a challenging posture that helps in stretching and strengthening the muscles, improves focus and calms the mind. Honing the exercise takes some time but regular practice helps in performing it efficiently. It is a balancing pose and hence a lot of concentration and focus is required to maintain the pose perfectly. It is important to wear comfortable clothing, like yoga shirts and pants, to comfortably do the pose.

How to Perform the Pose

It requires a lot of balancing act to perform the pose and cannot be mastered in a single day. Make sure you regularly practice the pose. Here is a step-by-step way to perform it:

1. Start the pose by standing on the mountain pose and place your hands on your hip.
   
2. As you exhale lift your right knee up and reach for your toe with your right hand.
   
3. Hold the thumb of your foot with your fingers.
4. Try to create a balance while holding on to the initial pose.
   
5. Keep your right hand on the hip to maintain balance.
   
6. As you inhale, extend your right leg to the front while holding it firmly with the hand.
   
7. Keep your back straight as you perform the pose.
8. Keep the shoulders firm, back straight, open your chest and keep the hips on the same level.
   
9. Inhale and extend the left leg forward.
   
10. Slowly swing the leg to the side.
    
11. Keep breathing and hold on to the pose for 30 to 60 seconds.
12. After that move the leg back to the center with one inhalation and lower the foot to the floor with one exhale.
    
13. Repeat the same even for the other leg.

Benefits

• It massages the abdominal area and improves digestion.
• It boosts metabolism, strengthens the nervous system and brings in energy.
• It strengthens the legs, ankles, core strength and opens the hamstrings.
• It helps in improving the balance and enhances the power of concentration.
• It improves the focus, calms the mind and helps in increasing balance.

Mistakes and Contradictions

The best time to perform the yoga asana is early morning on an empty stomach. It is important to keep the bowel empty. Do not perform the asana if you are suffering from ankle or low back injuries. Do not stress too much on a single day as it might injure and strain the hamstrings.

How to Perform It Perfectly

It is a challenging pose and takes some time to master. It is advisable to perform the pose under the guidance of yoga experts. As a beginner, you might face trouble balancing the pose and hence can start by using a support. You can start by simply stretching and placing the raised leg foot on top of a chair back for support. Set the chair two inches away from the wall and raise your foot on the chair and move it gradually to the sidewall.