Low Lunge

The lesson

1. 01

   Back knee down, front foot forward

   From kneeling, step one foot forward outside your hands and let the back knee rest on the floor. Pad it with a folded towel — this is a long hold and the floor gets hard.

2. 02

   Walk the front foot out

   Slide the front foot forward until the shin is vertical or leaning past it. The further forward it goes, the more the back hip opens.

3. 03

   Hands inside the front foot

   Bring both hands to the inside of the front foot. This is what lets the hips drop between the legs instead of hovering above them.

4. 04

   Go down to your forearms — or don't

   Lower onto the forearms if the floor is close enough. If it isn't, stack two books or use a chair seat under the hands. Propped and settled beats unpropped and braced.

5. 05

   Sink and stop holding

   Let the hips drop down and forward and let the weight of your body do the work. Nothing here should feel like effort — the moment you are holding yourself up you have stopped doing the pose.

6. 06

   The test

   A deep, broad opening across the front of the back hip and down into the front of that thigh. Sharpness in the front knee or the groin means come up and take less depth.