Hand to Big Toe Pose
Okay, I have to admit this is my all time favourite pose, especially when I am out in Nature. It seems to express that sense of joy, vitality, and prana or life force that the yogis all rave about. Other benefits of Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) include: straightening and strengthening the spine, lengthening and stretching the hamstrings, and enhancing concentration and balance. Many beginner and intermediate variations exist to help prepare the body for the full expression of this challenging pose.
Jenny in position one of the full Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) and aided by hiking poles, amid the lupines on Klahane Ridge, Olympic National Park. (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny in position one of the full Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) on Parker Ridge, with the Saskatchewan Glacier behind, Banff National Park, Alberta (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny in position one of the full Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) atop Vimy Peak in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny in position one of Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) in the Barranco Valley on Mount Kilimanjaro, with its unique forests of Giant Grounsels (Dendrosenecio kilimanjari), elevation 13,231 feet above sea level (Photo by Ian Hatter).
During a short break on the climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Jenny taught our Assistant Guide Raymond Stephen Kanyama how to do position one of the full Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny demonstrating how to do Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) to our Assistant Guide Raymond Stephen Kanyama while on a short break during the climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny in a hiking pole assisted version of Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana), on a patch of snow along the Mount Edith Cavell Trail, Jasper National Park, Alberta (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana), hiking pole providing extra stability on the snow, on the Begbie Glacier on Mount Begbie, near Revelstoke, B.C. (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny balancing in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) on a balanced rock in Arches National Park, Utah. Another time those hiking poles came in handy. (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana), aided by a hiking pole, amid the clouds along the Roaring Winds Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington State (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) aided by a hiking pole inside a sea cave along Second Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington State, B.C. (Photo by Ian Hatter)
Jenny in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) below Druid Arch in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) on the Stanley Glacier Trail, Kootenay National Park, B.C. (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) with hiking poles in hand on a ridge above Jade Pass, Mount Revelstoke National Park, B.C. (Photo by Ian Hatter)
Jenny in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) with a little help from a hiking pole on Mt Beecher, Strathcona Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, B.C. (Photo by Ian Hatter).
A closer view of Jenny in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) with a little help from a hiking pole on Mt Beecher, Strathcona Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, B.C. (Photo by Ian Hatter).
Jenny in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) with a little help from a hiking pole atop Royal Ridge near spectacular Talus Lodge, B.C. (Photo by Ian Hatter)
Jenny in Standing Extended Hand to Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangustasana) on Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island, B.C. (Photo by Ian Hatter)
