Pose Breakdown: Splits
Hanumanasana, also known as Front Splits or Monkey Pose, can be daunting. The full split requires a lot of leg and lower body mobility, especially in your hip flexors and hamstrings. Getting there can take dedication and a lot of process, but never force it or shove yourself into it, even if you feel like you’re ready! By taking it slow, you’re avoiding some serious injuries — so listen to your body!
The warmups for Front Splits are a crucial part of the process, so think of this as a more holistic Pose Breakdown and don’t jump straight to the instructions for the finished product. For more guidance and structure, try Kayla Nielsen’s 30-day Discover Your Splits series or our Stretch into Splits playlist on Alo Moves.
Looking for Middle Splits? Here are three classes to help you get started.
Benefits of Splits:
Strengthen and stretch your hamstrings, quads, and groin muscles.
Increase hip flexibility when practiced regularly
Stretch lower back muscles
Stimulates the digestive and reproductive organs
8 Warm Up Stretches for Splits
SEATED FORWARD FOLD
SCORPION DOG
HALF SPLIT
WIDE-LEGGED FORWARD FOLD
SUPTA PADANGUSTHASANA
LIZARD LUNGE
HALF PIGEON POSE
RUNNER’S LUNGE
.
Contraindications
Never do the splits if you have to force yourself into them! Speak with a doctor and proceed with caution if you have any pain or injuries in your hips, glutes, hamstrings, or lower back.
How to Do Half Moon Pose
1.
Engage your core muscles and keep them engaged throughout the pose.
2.
Start from a half-split position by flexing your front foot and engaging your quad to protect your knee.
3.
Slide your front foot forward and slide your back knee backward to your best ability.
4.
Once you're in as full of a position as your body allows, lift the quad of the front leg, squeeze your inner thighs together, and lift your navel.
5.
For extra support, keep your hands down at your sides, or reach your arms up for the full expression.
How to Do Splits with Yoga Blocks
Before sinking into Front Splits, place a yoga block on both sides of your front knee (eventually, the blocks will be on either side of your thigh). Bring your hands to the blocks for extra support, especially before your hips are able to reach the ground. Start on the highest setting to see how your hips and hamstrings feel before adjusting them lower.
Follow Up Poses for Splits
Wild Thing
Cow Face Pose
Child Pose
Seated Forward Fold
Bound Angle
Prone Tree Pose
Happy Baby
Hanumanasana Name and Mythology
In Hindu mythology, Hanuman was a semi-divine monkey that got his name from a story of his childhood: He mistook the sun for a fruit, so Indra, the king of gods, struck him in the jaw with a lightning bolt, breaking it. “Hanu” vaguely translates to “jaw” in Sanskrit.
What lent his name to this pose is a different tale. In the Hindu epic Ramayana, he led a monkey army to assist Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, in recovering his wife Sita from the demon king of Lanka. The story goes that Hanumanasana crossed the strait between India and Lanka in one leap — hence the splits.
Start your splits journey with the Stretch into Splits playlist, available for free with a 14-day trial to Alo Moves.