Comprehensive Guide for Easily Doing the Monkey Pose in Yoga

The monkey pose in yoga is commonly known as Hanumanasana ¹and is an amazing pose to stretch the entire body. But, many people struggle to do this pose because of their anatomy.

People whose hips muscles are longer and body are already flexible can do this pose without much effort but for some people, this pose can be done after a lot of struggle and practice.

So, don’t be sad if you don’t do these splits with much accuracy. Keep practising and gradually your body will adapt!

1. Name Behind this Pose

The name of this hanumanasana is derived from Hindu mythology² wherein Lord Hanuman looks like a monkey.

He rescued the wife of Deity Rama, Sita, by taking a giant leap from South India to the island of Sri Lanka to rescue her, that’s why this pose is called the monkey pose.

2. How to do Monkey Pose in Yoga?

This pose is an intense stretch done with closed hips on the floor. Before doing this pose, you must warm up by doing a slight stretch or running for a while.

And, if you find difficulty in this pose then you should try half monkey pose to provide more flexibility to your body. The step-by-step instructions given to do this yoga pose are as follows:

2.1. Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Start the pose by placing your front leg and left leg on the yoga mat on the floor.
2. Step your right leg in between your arms and your left leg straight at the back of your low lunge.³
3. Slowly stretch your right foot forward as much as you can easily without doing so much effort, also try to extend your back leg.
4. Make sure your front foot forward and your right leg knee is on the ground. On the other hand, your left foot top is touching the ground and the back knee is facing the top.
5. And, if your front thighs are still in the air and not touching the earth, then you should take a cushion, a blanket, or a block underneath.
6. If your legs are in a relaxed position then you can lift your torso and if you can’t reach them on your own then you can get the help of a cushion.
7. Afterwards, if you feel relaxed in that position, then you can lift your hands from the ground and place them overhead in the prayer position.
8. A straight leg is required in these splits and put the right leg heel forward and back foot backwards with the left knee at the top.
9. The monkey pose is an intense stretch and should be done in at least 30 seconds which is approximately 5 deep breaths.
10. If you want to stop the asana, then slowly bend your right foot and come onto your left leg.
11. When you do it on one side, after that do the same thing on the other side for 30 seconds.

3. What is the Monkey Pose in Yoga Good for?

The Monkey pose in yoga is good for the hamstrings, hips muscles, glutes, and groin. It will strengthen your hamstrings and the core of your leg muscles.

This pose is good for curing injuries that are related to your neck, spine, shoulders, and for your knees.

It provides strength and flexibility, especially for your lower body. Any asana that you do helps you to improve flexibility and agility, it also helps you in other kinds of sports and physical activities.

4. What are the Benefits of Monkey Pose in Yoga?

Numerous benefits of monkey pose in yoga can be attained by doing this regularly. It helps you to strengthen your hips muscles, strong spine, thigh muscles, and hamstrings and provides body awareness, but these benefits will show up to you after consistent hard work.

It gives strength to the lower body and provides more flexibility to leg muscles and body awareness. It will also help to increase the flow of blood in the lower body. And, good flow of blood in the legs will provide strength to the lower muscles.

This thing will also help you in any field of life, it helps you to come out of your comfort zone and force you to challenge yourself.

It offers agility and endurance to you, agility is the ability to change the muscles of our body in any direction and endurance is the strength that helps us to contract the body against any direction for a longer period.

5. Variations: Half Monkey Pose

If you are new to yoga and feel difficulty in doing monkey pose, then you should do a lite version which is called “Half Monkey Pose” which is comparatively easy.

To do this, you should place your thighs on the floor, if you feel some difficulty you should use a yoga block under your arms for support and also use these blocks under the front leg thigh and left foot knee for more support.

Use a yoga mat ⁴on the bare floor and put your right leg heel forward on the blanket to slide your knee more easily and your left knee at the top.

After doing this, you lift your arms overhead in a prayer position, that’s how you achieve a half-monkey pose.

6. Common Mistakes

You must consider three main common mistakes while doing the monkey pose are as follows:

6.1. Hips Position

Keep in mind that while doing a monkey pose, make sure that your hips are in a closed position and your spine must be straight. If you are doing gymnastics⁵ and cheerleading then open hips will work.

But in yoga asanas, closed hips help you to achieve the desired results. Doing the pose in the correct position and you have a mat on the floor.

6.2. Keep Doing in Pain

If you feel any kind of pain such as pain in your thighs, spine, legs, and lower body. Make sure to avoid doing this pose, if you feel any kind of excessive pain then immediately stop doing the pose, it might harm you.

So, stop doing it and you can try the easy variations of this pose to avoid that pain, you should try a half-monkey pose to flex your body.

6.3. Do Not do Yoga in case of Injury

If you already have an injury in your legs, thigh, and hamstrings⁶, then don’t do any kind of yoga pose in that condition because doing yoga in injury makes your condition even worse and impacts badly.

Always do any pose or any kind of asana with the guidance of a yoga expert which helps you to achieve the desired result.

7. Bottomline

The monkey pose is an amazing yoga pose to stretch your body and get rid of the tension in your spine, legs, and abdomen. However, one must do it cautiously and consistently to reap the most benefits. Stay safe and healthy!

1. Hagan, C. (2021). Yoga asana and the performance of gender in American exercise. In Practicing Yoga as Resistance (pp. 157-174). Routledge. ↩︎
2. Fishman, L. (2003). Yoga in medicine. Alternative medicine in rehabilitation: A guide for practitioners, 139, 173. ↩︎
3. Keogh, J. (1999). Lower-body resistance training: Increasing functional performance with lunges. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 21(1), 67. ↩︎
4. Brown, R., & Chevalier, G. (2015). Grounding the human body during yoga exercise with a grounded yoga mat reduces blood viscosity. Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 5(4), 159-168. ↩︎
5. Benardot, D. (2013). Gymnastics. The Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine: An IOC Medical Commission Publication, 19, 596-606. ↩︎
6. Donahoe-Fillmore, B., & Brahler, J. C. (2008). The effect of yoga postures on balance, flexibility and strength in adolescent females. The Journal of Women’s & Pelvic Health Physical Therapy, 32(1), 28. ↩︎

Last Updated on August 2, 2024 by Sathi