With patience and concentration, you can achieve challenging yoga postures like the fallen triangle pose with ease!

Fallen triangle pose, or patita tarasana in Sanskrit, is a mix of side plank and triangle pose and can incorporate a slight backbend. It strengthens and opens your chest, hamstrings, outer hips, core, and shoulders and is anything but basic.

Read on to learn how to do the fallen triangle pose step by step.

Fallen Triangle Pose (Patita Tarasana): Step-by-Step Instructions

As you prepare to take on the fallen triangle pose, Derise Anjanette, a 500 E-RYT Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher in Boulder, Colorado recommends doing a core-strengthening drill to warm up your muscles.

The drill starts in a three-legged dog and consists of flowing your right knee to your nose, lifting your leg back up, and drawing your knee to the right elbow, and knee to the left elbow. Then perform the same movements with your left leg.

Follow these steps to get into the posture.

• Begin in a downward dog pose. While in a downward-facing dog, raise your right leg in the air for a three-legged dog.
• Press into your palms and draw your lifted leg toward your opposite elbow. Bend your knee and rotate your right foot toward the left side of the room.
• With your right knee near your left elbow, extend your right leg straight out to the side. Rest the outer edge of your right foot on the floor next to your mat. For an added challenge, hover your extended leg.
• Root down through the palm of your right hand, and reach your left arm skyward. “Moving into a slight external rotation in the bottom hand can be really helpful,” Anjanette says. “Too much internal rotation can cause pinching and can be rough on the rotator cuff muscles.”
• Turn your back heel down so that the inner edge of your foot is on the floor.
• Lift your hips toward the ceiling and engage your glutes.
• Keep your shoulder stacked over your wrist or move into a slight backbend for a heart-opener expression.

If you need a modification for this posture, you have the option to drop down to your supporting forearm to relieve stress on your shoulders. Also, try out lowering your supporting knee to the mat to help you focus on the twist.

Benefits of Fallen Triangle Pose

Fallen triangle pose is an advanced yoga posture, but once you can get into this pose, you’ll reap the many benefits it has to offer.

Fallen triangle pose both strengthens your muscles and stretches your body. Here’s what it is working:

• Your tricep muscles engage as you press into the mat with your bottom hand.
• The shoulder muscles (deltoids) open your chest toward the ceiling as you balance on the one hand.
• Core muscles (rectus abdominis and oblique muscles) will fire upon the twist in your torso.
• While the twist in your torso supports the strengthening of your core, the extension of your leg provides an excellent stretch for your IT band and outer hips.