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Extended Frog Pose reaches a place most chest openers do not. Taking the arms overhead and behind the head to hold the opposite elbows opens across the front of the shoulders and the sides of the torso at once, which is precisely the area that closes down after hours of leaning toward a screen.
What it is
You kneel with the knees wide and the big toes touching behind you, sitting back toward the heels with the spine tall. Then you reach both arms overhead, bend the elbows and take hold of the opposite elbow behind the head, lifting the chest and drawing the elbows gently up and back.
The wide knees are what let you sit back comfortably. A narrow kneeling position with the hips on the heels compresses the front of the body, which works against the opening the arms are creating.
The lift comes from lengthening up through the spine rather than from arching back. This is a chest opener rather than a backbend, and the difference shows in the lower back: lengthening keeps it out of the pose, arching brings it in.
Drawing the elbows up and back is a small movement. It does not need to be large to open the shoulders, and forcing it is the usual reason people feel it in the neck.
How to practise it
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Seated Posture
Sit with your legs extended straight in front of you, feet flexed, spine tall. Rest your hands on the floor beside your hips. Breathe steadily to settle in.
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Kneel with knees wide
Widen your knees and bring the big toes to touch behind you. Sit back towards your heels, keeping the spine tall. Use a cushion under the hips if sitting back is uncomfortable.
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Open the chest
Reach both arms up overhead, then bend the elbows and take hold of the opposite elbow behind your head. Lift the chest and draw the elbows gently up and back to open the heart.
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Lift and breathe
Keep lengthening up through the spine as you open, breathe steadily, and hold gently. Release the arms slowly to come out.
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Kneel with knees wide
Release your arms
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Seated Posture
Extend your legs straight in front of you again, feet flexed, spine tall. Rest your hands on the floor beside your hips and breathe steadily to close.
How long and how often
Several steady breaths in the shape, lengthening up on each inhale. Release the arms slowly to come out.
Use a cushion under the hips if sitting back is uncomfortable, or if the knees or ankles feel strained. The app gives this adjustment directly and it is the usual one.
Keep the chest-opening gentle. It is a strong stretch across the shoulders and there is nothing to gain from pushing it.
What usually goes wrong
Kneeling with the knees together. Wide knees are part of the pose. They let you sit back without compressing the front of the body.
Arching the lower back. Lengthen up rather than bending back. The opening should be felt across the chest and shoulders, not in the lumbar spine.
Forcing the elbows back. A gentle draw is enough. Pushing hard tends to be felt in the neck and does not open the shoulders any further.
Sitting through knee or ankle strain. A cushion under the hips takes most of the load off both. There is no reason to endure it.
Who should take care
Practise safely. Use a cushion under the hips if the knees or ankles feel strained, and keep the chest-opening gentle. Ease off if you have knee, shoulder, or lower-back issues. See our full Health & Safety Disclaimer.
A gentle opening, held and breathing
PanchPrana enters and leaves the pose through a settled seated position, which gives the shoulders a moment before and after. Extended Frog Pose is one of the 66 techniques that are free to practise in full, with no account needed.
Common questions
Where exactly do my hands go?
Reaching overhead, elbows bent, each hand holding the opposite elbow behind the head.
My knees and ankles hurt kneeling.
Put a cushion under the hips. It raises you off the heels and takes most of the load off both joints.
Should I arch back?
No. Lengthen up through the spine and let the chest open. Arching brings the lower back into a pose that is meant for the shoulders and chest.
Why are my knees wide?
So you can sit back toward the heels without compressing the belly and chest, which would work against the opening.
Who should take care?
The app advises easing off if you have knee, shoulder or lower-back issues. A cushion under the hips helps the knees; keeping the opening gentle helps the rest.
