Half Bound Lotus Forward Bendअर्ध बद्ध पद्म पश्चिमोत्तानासन

Sit in Dandasana on a folded blanket with both legs straight. Bend the right knee, cradle the shin, and place the right foot high on the left thigh in half lotus. Reach the right arm behind the back and take hold of the right big toe, or use a strap around the foot. Inhale to lengthen, then fold forward over the straight left leg from the hip crease. Take the left hand to the left foot, hold, then release and repeat on the other side. Hold for 30–60 seconds each side.

Primarily the hamstrings, hip adductors, shoulders, with the spinal erectors, chest, ankles assisting or lengthening. In mechanical terms: combines deep external rotation in one hip with a hamstring stretch in the other leg.

Knee injury — skip; the bind pulls directly through a bent, rotated knee. Shoulder impingement, or any inability to reach the toe without wrenching: use a strap. Hamstring strain on the straight leg. Recent hip replacement, and pregnancy, where the bind compresses the abdomen. This is general information, not medical advice — if any of these apply to you, ask your doctor and learn the pose with a qualified teacher rather than from a page.

No. Half Bound Lotus Forward Bend is rated advanced. The shape itself is rarely the problem — arriving at it years too early is. Work through the beginner and intermediate forward bends poses on this site and learn this one in person.

The honest answer is that nobody has measured a single asana. The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities publishes MET values for styles of yoga, not for individual poses. Half Bound Lotus Forward Bend sits closest to Compendium code 02175, yoga, Power, at 4 MET — about 147 kcal for 30 minutes of that kind of practice for a 70 kg adult. Holding one pose for a minute is a rounding error either way.