Yoga Poses for Leg Length Discrepancy: Wide-Legged Forward Fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)

Standing yoga poses can present challenges for people with leg length discrepancies (LLDs). If your legs are uneven in length, standing can be uncomfortable, your hips can be misaligned, and your legs can have differences in strength or flexibility.

Such challenges, however, are exactly the reasons you need to work on standing poses. They may be uncomfortable, but trying to find more balance between your two legs can ultimately help reduce pain and asymmetry.

One good standing pose for LLDs is Wide-Legged Forward Fold (Prasarita Padottanasana). This is a symmetric pose that stretches the legs, glutes, and back while promoting stability in the hips and balance between each leg, ankle, and foot. Each leg should be doing the same action, so use this opportunity to become more mindful of whether they are in fact symmetrical. With LLDs and scoliosis, use this pose to notice the needs of each side and any imbalances you may have.

It is beneficial for those with LLDs and scoliosis to practice this pose against a wall. This allows you to spend more time in the pose, helps you find more evenness in your hips, and gives you more feedback about each side.

How to Do It

1.      Bring your mat to run lengthwise along the wall. Bring a chair covered with a blanket or bolster a couple of feet away from the wall.

2.     Turn and face away from the wall with your heels two to three inches away from the floor board.

3.     Step your feet wide apart with feet parallel to each other, toes pointed forward, and lean your buttocks back into the wall.

4.     Press your sitting bones evenly on the wall and the outer edges of your feet into the mat.

5.     Inhale to elongate your torso.

6.     Exhale to hinge forward at the hips and reach for the chair. Position the chair so your arms are straight and your torso is elongated with your hands on the top of the chair or on the seat. As you get more flexible you can do this pose with your hands on blocks.

7.     Hold for 30 to 60 seconds pressing your hips evenly into the wall. When you are ready to come out, pull the chair up toward you until your hands are under your shoulders, press down into your feet, and lift the torso up with a long spine.

Things to watch for

For scoliosis and LLDs, pay attention to the differences between each leg and hip—which hip is higher on and presses more into the wall. Visualize lengthening the shorter leg up and pressing into each sitting bone evenly. Especially with lumbar curves, try to lengthen your concave side. Also, those with scoliosis and LLDs will often hyperextend (overextend) one or both knees. Notice your knees and keep a little (often called micro) bend in the knee that extends too much.

I find this to be a very powerful pose: It creates a lot of sensation in my body. This is one of few poses that stimulates such a response. As a half inversion, it is often calming and can help reduce anxiety in people, but it activates everything in me. Everyone will have their own experience with yoga and each yoga pose, but use each opportunity you are on the mat to check in and notice what feelings and sensations arise in different positions.

Other posts in the Yoga Poses for Leg Length Discrepancy Series:
Extended Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)
Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
Side Plank Pose (Vasisthasana)

And sign up to get my Best Yoga Pose for Leg Length Discrepancies guide