Frog Pose (Bhekasana)

Frog Pose is an intense prone backbend that simultaneously opens the hip flexors and quadriceps while demanding significant spinal extension and shoulder rotation. It is well-suited for intermediate to advanced practitioners looking to prepare the body for deeper wheel-family backbends or to release chronic hip-flexor tightness from prolonged sitting. From the belly, both knees bend and both hands grasp the tops of the feet, pressing them toward the hips as the chest lifts and the gaze rises.

Cues

• Rotate your elbows to point forward and press the tops of your feet evenly into your palms rather than pulling with your fingers.
• Engage the inner thighs slightly toward each other to protect the knee joints from splaying too wide.
• Lift through the sternum on each inhale rather than crunching into the lower back.
• Keep the breath slow and steady — any holding of breath signals you've gone too deep.