Approximately 1,000 Yoga Teachers Have Told Me This Is the Most Relaxing Pose

Now that I have you on the edge of your seat, I'll tell you that the pose with said mystical reputation is half frog pose. When you do the pose's two-legged version, it's a powerful groin stretch wherein you really, truly do look like an amphibian. Picture this: both your knees are on the mat and splayed out wide, your calves form a 90-degree angle with your thighs, and you slowly lower your chest to the ground until sensation leaps through your lower body.

The half version is much more gentle. You lie all the way down on your stomach then hike one knee up so it's forms just one 90-degree angle. It feels like tension is pouring out of you the minute you slide into it. But since I wasn't sure why, I asked yoga teacher Lindsay Pirozzi of New York City’s Y7 studio why half frog is such a standout. "It's so relaxing because you're reclining on the yin side of your body–which is the front or abdomen side," she explains. "This side is more vulnerable because it hosts our vital organs. When [that area] is protected by the floor, it helps ground us."

Paired with props, frog (somehow) becomes even more luxe! Here's how to try this pose out for yourself right now—or in bed later.

How to move into half frog pose, the most relaxing of all yoga poses

To make this pose even better, place a pillow or a bolster underneath your torso, as well as another pillow beneath your bent knee. Try not to fall asleep (or, I mean, just pass out).

1. From child's pose, slide onto your stomach.
2. Turn your gaze to the right, using your hands as a pillow.
3. Slide your right knee up to your right hip so that it's lying at a 90-degree angle. (Make sure your ankle is in line with your knee.)
4. Soften your whole body and rest for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Switch sides.

Ready for something a little more fiery? Try yoga teacher Valerie Verdier's core sequence:



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