FitnessWorkouts

Channel Your Inner Ariel With Mermaid Pose—Here’s How to Add It to Your Yoga Practice

Mermaid pose helps improve your flexibility, balance, core strength, and more. Here's exactly how to do it, plus variations to try.

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Photo: Getty Images/ Athitat Shinagowin
Published Sep 22, 2024

Written by 

Ingrid Yang

Mermaid pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana in Sanskrit) is a graceful and challenging yoga posture that beautifully combines flexibility, strength, and balance. It’s a deep hip opener that also targets your spine, chest, and shoulders, making it an all-encompassing pose for building strength and flexibility.

Experts in This Article

Heather Stants

a yoga and movement teacher and the creator of Dance Flow Yoga

But starting from the ground up is key in mermaid pose, according to Heather Stants, a yoga and movement teacher and the creator of Dance Flow Yoga. Like any advanced yoga pose, it requires a thoughtful approach and proper preparation.

Ahead, we share exactly how to do mermaid pose, its benefits, ways to modify it or kick it up a notch, and more.

How to do mermaid pose the right way every time

Before diving into mermaid pose, it’s essential to warm up properly and approach the pose with mindfulness. Stants advises.

Time should be spent on lengthening the hip flexors and practicing back-bending postures, like camel pose (Ustrasana), before attempting the full bind in mermaid (where you link your hands together at the top of the move). Always listen to your body and respect your limits, she says.

  1. 1.
    Start in downward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). Bring your right knee forward, placing it behind your right wrist while sliding your left leg back for pigeon pose (Kapotasana). Square your hips toward the front of the mat.
  2. 2.
    Press into your fingertips as you lift your chest, engaging your core and lengthening your spine before you settle back into your hips. Before moving on to the next step, ensure that your lower back feels comfortable here and your hips are not straining. If so, consider putting a block under the hip of your bent leg.
  3. 3.
    Slowly bend your right (back) knee, bringing your right heel toward your right gluteus muscle.
  4. 4.
    With your right hand, reach back and grab the inside of your right foot or ankle. Keep your chest open and your gaze forward.
  5. 5.
    Slide your right foot into the crook of your right elbow. If possible, reach your left arm overhead and clasp your hands together, creating a “mermaid tail” with your arms.
  6. 6.
    Once you’re in the full expression of the pose, this requires quite a bit of balance. Engage your core, but don’t forget to continue to breathe—if you start breathing shallow or rapid breaths, this may be a sign you’re not comfortable here.
  7. 7.
    Stay in the pose for five to 10 breaths, maintaining an open chest and square hips.
  8. 8.
    To exit the pose, release your foot and place your hands on the ground on either side of your front leg. Press yourself up into a one-legged downward-facing dog, and then back into a full downward-facing dog.
  9. 9.
    Repeat on the other side.

The benefits of mermaid pose

1. It opens up your hips and shoulders

Mermaid pose offers a deep stretch for your hip flexors, quadriceps, and shoulders, enhancing overall flexibility. Stants highlights that the pose helps with lengthening your hip flexors and making other back-bending postures more accessible, which is helpful preparation for more advanced postures.

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2. It strengthens your core and back

The pose requires significant core engagement, helping to build stability and strength in your torso. A strong core translates to better posture, reduced risk of injury, and an easier time lifting and carrying heavy objects (think: groceries, moving boxes, etc.) in your everyday life.

3. It improves balance

Holding the pose demands focus and balance, which can improve coordination and stability in other yoga poses. Not to mention, it can make daily tasks like leaning over to tie your shoes, walking up and down stairs, and reaching up to grab something on the top shelf easier.

Tips to modify mermaid pose

1. Use a strap

If you can’t reach your foot with your hand, loop a strap around your back foot and hold onto the strap as you work on the flexibility needed to bind. This is one of Stants’s top recommendations to assist students struggling with flexibility.

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  1. 1.
    Start in downward-facing dog. Bring your right knee forward, placing it behind your right wrist while sliding your left leg back for pigeon pose. Square your hips toward the front of the mat.
  2. 2.
    Press into your fingertips as you lift your chest, engaging your core and lengthening your spine before you settle back into your hips. Before moving on to the next step, ensure that your lower back feels comfortable here and your hips are not straining. If so, consider putting a block under the hip of your bent leg.
  3. 3.
    With a yoga strap wrapped around your right (back) foot, slowly bend your right knee, bringing your right heel toward your back gluteus muscle.
  4. 4.
    With your right hand, reach back and grab the inside of your right foot or ankle. Keep your chest open and your gaze forward.
  5. 5.
    Slide your right foot into the crook of your right elbow. If possible, reach your left arm overhead and grab the strap, meeting your right hand and creating a “mermaid tail” with your arms.
  6. 6.
    Once you’re in the full expression of the pose, this requires quite a bit of balance. Engage your core, but don’t forget to continue to breathe—if you start breathing shallow or rapid breaths, this may be a sign you’re not comfortable here.
  7. 7.
    Stay in the pose for five to 10 breaths, maintaining an open chest and square hips.
  8. 8.
    To exit the pose, release your foot and place your hands on the ground on either side of your front leg. Press yourself up into a one-legged downward-facing dog, and then back into a full downward-facing dog.
  9. 9.
    Repeat on the other side.

2. Keep your front leg at a wider angle

Instead of bringing your front shin parallel to the top of the mat, allow it to be at a more comfortable angle to reduce the intensity on your hips.

3. Skip the bind

You can perform a modified version of the pose by keeping your back leg bent and simply holding onto your foot with one hand, without binding with the elbow.

Mermaid pose variations

1. Mermaid pose with one-handed hold

For beginners or those with limited shoulder mobility, you can hold your back foot with your left hand without binding the foot into the elbow. Stants suggests this as a way to still benefit from the stretch while “gradually opening the shoulder.”

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  1. 1.
    Start in downward-facing dog. Bring your right knee forward, placing it behind your right wrist while sliding your left leg back for pigeon pose. Square your hips toward the front of the mat.
  2. 2.
    Press into your fingertips as you lift your chest, engaging your core and lengthening your spine before you settle back into your hips. Before moving on to the next step, ensure that your lower back feels comfortable here and your hips are not straining. If so, consider putting a block under the hip of your bent leg.
  3. 3.
    Slowly bend your right (back) knee, bringing your right heel toward your right gluteus muscle.
  4. 4.
    With your right hand, reach back and grab the inside of your right foot or ankle. Keep your chest open and your gaze forward.
  5. 5.
    Once you’re in the full expression of the pose, this requires quite a bit of balance. Engage your core, but don’t forget to continue to breathe—if you start breathing shallow or rapid breaths, this may be a sign you’re not comfortable here.
  6. 6.
    Stay in the pose for five to 10 breaths, maintaining an open chest and square hips.
  7. 7.
    To exit the pose, release your foot and place your hands on the ground on either side of your front leg. Press yourself up into a one-legged downward-facing dog, and then back into a full downward-facing dog.
  8. 8.
    Repeat on the other side.

2. Mermaid pose with both hands

For those with advanced flexibility, clasp both hands behind your head, creating a deeper shoulder stretch. This variation intensifies the chest opening and challenges balance, making it a great progression for seasoned practitioners.

  1. 1.
    Start in downward-facing dog. Bring your right knee forward, placing it behind your right wrist while sliding your left leg back for pigeon pose. Square your hips toward the front of the mat.
  2. 2.
    Press into your fingertips as you lift your chest, engaging your core and lengthening your spine before you settle back into your hips. Before moving on to the next step, ensure that your lower back feels comfortable here and your hips are not straining. If so, consider putting a block under the hip of your bent leg.
  3. 3.
    Slowly bend your right (back) knee, bringing your right heel toward your right gluteus muscle.
  4. 4.
    With your right hand, reach back and grab the inside of your right foot or ankle. Keep your chest open and your gaze forward.
  5. 5.
    Reach your left arm overhead and grab the inside of your right foot or ankle.
  6. 6.
    Once you’re in the full expression of the pose, this requires quite a bit of balance. Engage your core, but don’t forget to continue to breathe—if you start breathing shallow or rapid breaths, this may be a sign you’re not comfortable here.
  7. 7.
    Stay in the pose for five to 10 breaths, maintaining an open chest and square hips.
  8. 8.
    To exit the pose, release your foot and place your hands on the ground on either side of your front leg. Press yourself up into a one-legged downward-facing dog, and then back into a full downward-facing dog.
  9. 9.
    Repeat on the other side.

3. Mermaid pose with a forward bend

While in mermaid pose, hinge forward from the hips over your front leg, increasing the stretch in your hip and adding a balance challenge.

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  1. 1.
    Start in downward-facing dog. Bring your right knee forward, placing it behind your right wrist while sliding your left leg back for pigeon pose. Square your hips toward the front of the mat.
  2. 2.
    Press into your fingertips as you lift your chest, engaging your core and lengthening your spine before you settle back into your hips. Before moving on to the next step, ensure that your lower back feels comfortable here and your hips are not straining. If so, consider putting a block under the hip of your bent leg.
  3. 3.
    Slowly bend your right (back) knee, bringing your right heel toward your right gluteus muscle.
  4. 4.
    With your right hand, reach back and grab the inside of your right foot or ankle. Keep your chest open and your gaze forward.
  5. 5.
    Lean your torso forward as far as you can.
  6. 6.
    Once you’re in the full expression of the pose, this requires quite a bit of balance. Engage your core, but don’t forget to continue to breathe—if you start breathing shallow or rapid breaths, this may be a sign you’re not comfortable here.
  7. 7.
    Stay in the pose for five to 10 breaths, maintaining an open chest and square hips.
  8. 8.
    To exit the pose, release your foot and place your hands on the ground on either side of your front leg. Press yourself up into a one-legged downward-facing dog, and then back into a full downward-facing dog.
  9. 9.
    Repeat on the other side.

4. Mermaid pose with a straight binding arm

Kick your back leg straight while holding the foot, extending your arm for a deep chest and shoulder stretch. This variation opens your chest and intensifies the shoulder stretch, perfect for advanced practitioners seeking a deeper challenge.

  1. 1.
    Start in downward-facing dog. Bring your right knee forward, placing it behind your right wrist while sliding your left leg back for pigeon pose. Square your hips toward the front of the mat.
  2. 2.
    Press into your fingertips as you lift your chest, engaging your core and lengthening your spine before you settle back into your hips. Before moving on to the next step, ensure that your lower back feels comfortable here and your hips are not straining. If so, consider putting a block under the hip of your bent leg.
  3. 3.
    Slowly bend your right (back) knee, bringing your right heel toward your right gluteus muscle.
  4. 4.
    With your right hand, reach back and grab the inside of your right foot or ankle. Keep your chest open and your gaze forward.
  5. 5.
    Extend your right leg back as far as you can while still keeping your chest open and hips squared toward the front of the mat.
  6. 6.
    Once you’re in the full expression of the pose, this requires quite a bit of balance. Engage your core, but don’t forget to continue to breathe—if you start breathing shallow or rapid breaths, this may be a sign you’re not comfortable here.
  7. 7.
    Stay in the pose for five to 10 breaths, maintaining an open chest and square hips.
  8. 8.
    To exit the pose, release your foot and place your hands on the ground on either side of your front leg. Press yourself up into a one-legged downward-facing dog, and then back into a full downward-facing dog.
  9. 9.
    Repeat on the other side.

Common mistakes to avoid in mermaid pose—and how to fix them

1. Your hips aren’t aligned

Ensure your hips are squared toward the front of the mat. If they’re tilting to one side, use a yoga block under the hip of your front leg to level them. Stants reminds students that “the bind is so tempting,” but warns against sacrificing alignment for the sake of getting into the bind too quickly.

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2. You force the bind

Don’t rush into the bind. If your shoulder or hip flexibility isn’t there yet, focus on the preparatory steps and use props to support your progress.

3. You over-arch your lower back

Engage your core to avoid collapsing into your lower back. Think about lengthening your spine rather than simply bending backward.

Who mermaid pose is best for (and who should avoid it)

Mermaid pose is best for:

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  • Experienced yogis with a solid foundation in hip-opening and back-bending postures.
  • Those looking to increase flexibility in their hips, shoulders, and spine.

Avoid mermaid pose if:

  • You have knee, hip, or lower back injuries, as the pose can place pressure on these areas. Stants cautions that “someone with a low back, hip, or knee injury might want to avoid practicing mermaid,” due to the deep stretch and binding required.
  • You’re pregnant or have shoulder instability, as the binding aspect can be challenging and potentially unsafe.

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Doing This Type of Breathing as Part of Your Pilates Practice Can Help Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor

Here's how hypopressive breathing, a deep breathing exercise, can help you with your Pilates practice and other forms of movement.

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Photo: Stocksy/Atolas
Published Jan 29, 2025

Written by 

Kelsey Kloss

If you’re obsessed with all things Pilates, you already know about the best athleisure, accessories, and self-care moments to incorporate into your practice. However, you may be less familiar with a type of breathwork that can improve your practice — and help you feel more grounded.

Experts in This Article

Anouska Shenn

certified Pilates instructor and founder of The Office Yoga Company

Blair Mauri

a pelvic floor therapist and owner of Blair Mauri Pelvic Health

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Enter hypopressive breathing, a deep breathing exercise that involves emptying your lungs completely. It’s similar to the uddiyana bandha in yoga (or an “abdominal lock”).

“It involves breathing in a way that creates a vacuum-like effect in your thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities by decreasing the pressure, causing a lift and toning of the pelvic floor,” says Anouska Shenn, a certified Pilates instructor and founder of The Office Yoga Company.

But before we get into how to do it, let us clear up one thing: Don’t try any breath-holding exercises during your practice, since Pilates focuses on breathing through movements.

That said, practicing hypopressive breathing before, after, or separate from your Pilates workouts can help support your practice in a number of ways.

What is hypopressive breathing?

Hypopressive breathing is a technique that involves completely emptying your lungs and holding that breath to create a vacuum. It serves as a core exercise that can benefit your pelvic floor health.

Think of it this way: Your abdomen is a closed pressure system. That means that when the pressure changes—like with a cough, deep breath, or force like a lift—your abdominal structures need to be able to manage that pressure properly. That’s where pelvic floor exercises, like hypopressive breathing, come in.

“When we’re not managing that pressure properly, gravity takes it and sends it down into the pelvic floor,” says Blair Mauri, MS, OTR/L, a pelvic floor therapist and owner of Blair Mauri Pelvic Health. “Repeated downward pressure not only weakens the pelvic floor, but can also cause it to become extremely tense.”

That tension may lead to symptoms such as incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, painful sex, low back pain, or chronic constipation. “Hypopressive breathing is an excellent way to optimize pelvic floor function, as it provides a natural lift to these tissues without increasing the tension,” says Mauri.

Improving your pelvic floor function can relieve pelvic pain or low back pain, improve your oxygen and energy levels, promote digestion, and support your movement throughout your Pilates practice.

In fact, an eight-week program of hypopressive exercises improved pelvic floor muscle strength and urinary incontinence symptoms in women ages 18 to 60 with pelvic floor dysfunction and urinary incontinence symptoms, per a 2022 study1 in Neurourology and Urodynamics.

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Plus, hypopressive breathing can work your lungs in a way that benefits your Pilates practice. “Optimizing your rib mobility is also important for diaphragm function and getting the most out of your breaths,” adds Mauri.

How do you do it?

First, take a few deep breaths and see where you notice that pressure (in this case, your breath):

  • Is it focused in your chest or belly?
  • Are your ribs moving apart as you breathe in?

You should feel some mobility in all of these areas, not just one. “Rib mobility is especially important for proper hypopressive technique, so you may need to start here,” says Mauri. “Take some time to retrain your breathing so that everything expands on the inhale and comes back together on the exhale.”

Once you’ve honed in on that, you can move on to your hypopressive breathing exercises, following Mauri’s instructions:

  1. 1.
    Gently exhale as if you are fogging a window. Don’t send any pressure or force down into your lower belly or pelvic floor.
  2. 2.
    After you exhale, hold your nose and close your mouth and “pretend” to inhale without actually taking in any air. Think about widening those ribs, which will make your stomach begin to look concave.
  3. 3.
    Hold this for 3-5 seconds and then inhale.

How does it benefit your Pilates practice?

This breathing technique shines as an add-on to your Pilates practice. You don’t want to hold your breath during Pilates moves (after all, Pilates is all about coordinating movement with breath), but hypopressive breathing exercises can serve as bumpers for an effective workout.

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“Hypopressive breathing is designed to stand alone, but you can use it as part of your warm-up or to close your Pilates practice,” Shenn says.

Pelvic floor strengthening is already often a key element of Pilates. In fact, a 12-week Pilates program focused on pelvic floor strengthening significantly improved stress urinary incontinence symptoms in women ages 45 to 70, with the results lasting even six months after the program, per a small 2020 study2 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

“Hypopressive breathing complements a Pilates routine, as it also retrains and strengthens the deep core along with your pelvic floor,” says Mauri.

A strong and coordinated deep core and pelvic floor gives you more stability as you move your body throughout your Pilates practice—and throughout the rest of your day.

“Our pelvic floor muscles work together with our deep core muscles to stabilize the spine—supporting our posture and providing a solid foundation for all of our movements,” says Shenn.

Tips to get started

As you integrate hypopressive breathing into your Pilates routine, Shenn recommends keeping these tips in mind:

  • Start with 1-3 sets of 3 repetitions, resting between sets.
  • If you’re a beginner, practice your breathing lying down or seated, before progressing to more challenging positions like side-lying or quadruped (a four-point kneeling position).
  • Do your hypopressive breathwork on an empty stomach (it’s recommended to not eat at least two hours beforehand, since this type of breathing involves suctioning the abdomen inward and upward).
  • Avoid wearing clothes that are too tight—including collars, waistbands, and belts—as they can impede your breath.

Very little research has been done on the effect of breathwork on babies in the womb, so avoid hypopressive breathing if you’re pregnant.

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One more thing to note: Certain preexisting health conditions like high blood pressure can also be contraindications for breathwork, so always check with your doctor first and consider working with a trained provider to make sure your form is correct.

  1. Molina-Torres G, Moreno-Muñoz M, Rebullido TR, Castellote-Caballero Y, Bergamin M, Gobbo S, Hita-Contreras F, Cruz-Diaz D. The effects of an 8-week hypopressive exercise training program on urinary incontinence and pelvic floor muscle activation: A randomized controlled trial. Neurourol Urodyn. 2023 Feb;42(2):500-509. doi: 10.1002/nau.25110. Epub 2022 Dec 8. PMID: 36482844; PMCID: PMC10107869.

    ↩︎

  2. Hein JT, Rieck TM, Dunfee HA, Johnson DP, Ferguson JA, Rhodes DJ. Effect of a 12-Week Pilates Pelvic Floor-Strengthening Program on Short-Term Measures of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Pilot Study. J Altern Complement Med. 2020 Feb;26(2):158-161. doi: 10.1089/acm.2019.0330. Epub 2020 Jan 9. PMID: 31916840; PMCID: PMC7044776.

    ↩︎

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The 10 Best Pilates Exercises for Beginners, According to a Peloton Instructor

A Peloton instructor shares the best beginner Pilates exercises and how to do them, plus the benefits of Pilates.

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Photo credit: Peleton
Published Jan 27, 2025

Written by 

Kristin Jenny

Pilates was created in the 1920s in New York City by Joseph Pilates and many of its exercises were originally used to help World War I patients rehabilitate injuries. Today, Pilates is used more for fitness than for physical rehabilitation, although its focus on building a strong core may help prevent or speed along healing from other injuries.

Experts in This Article

Rebecca Kennedy

certified personal trainer and Peloton instructor

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If you’re considering giving this mind-and-body-focused workout a try, it’s key to have a grasp of Pilates’ foundational moves so that you can safely make the most of this muscle-building, endorphin-inducing workout.

The benefits of Pilates

Pilates is a unique fitness practice in that it focuses on more than just burning calories and achieving toned muscles—although you’ll do both of those things with a regular cadence of classes.

Pilates is focused on three principles, according to the Pilates Foundation: breath, whole-body health, and whole-body commitment, with “the whole-body encompassing mind, body and spirit.” Within those principles, the concepts of breath, concentration, centering, control, precision and flow are mainstays in any well-rounded Pilates practice.

“There are many benefits of Pilates that go beyond toning muscles or getting in a great workout,” says Rebecca Kennedy, CPT, a Peloton Pilates and Tread instructor. “Some of the top benefits of Pilates for me are that it improves posture and balance, helps with overall flexibility and mobility, and is low-impact and low-stress on your joints.”

Additionally, Kennedy notes Pilates can be an excellent complementary workout to other fitness activities like running, cycling, or strength training.

Lastly, Kennedy believes the mind-body connection that is achieved from a frequent Pilates workout is unmatched in the fitness world. “A regular Pilates practice will improve your mind-body awareness while improving mental focus and concentration,” Kennedy says. “Its emphasis on enhancing breathwork can also have the effect of reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.”

Beginner Pilates tips to keep in mind

Before diving into Pilates head first, remember to listen to your mind and body—it’s better to forego a move or modify it than cause yourself pain or injury. While it may be tempting to launch into some of the more advanced Pilates moves, it’s better to view each movement with “curiosity, instead of just trying to do each move and check off a box,” Kennedy says.

She recommends nailing the basics of the moves featured below—and not just acing the look of a move, but truly internalizing the breathing rhythm, form, and alignment of these foundational Pilates movements before becoming overly concerned with time spent in a movement, number of reps, or moving into more challenging variations of a move.

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“A common misconception about Pilates is that you need to be flexible and also have a ton of equipment to get started with your practice,” Kennedy says. “Neither of these things are true. You do not need to be flexible to start a Pilates practice, and much of the equipment used is all extra, so don’t let either of those misconceptions hold you back from beginning a foundational practice.”

Finally, Kennedy reminds those who are new to Pilates that this is a slow, methodical practice. “Move slower than you think you need to, and always move with control,” Kennedy says. “Take modifications for any exercise that feels too challenging—it’s better to take a modification that allows you to maintain good form, breath control, and pelvic floor connection than to rush through a movement.”

The best Pilates exercises for beginners

Kennedy demonstrates each of the 10 moves in the video below. Follow along with her or scroll down for detailed exercise instructions.

1. The hundred

The Pilates hundred works your core and introduces the concept of timing your breath with your movements.

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