Pose library · Mandukasana · reviewed by a teacher
Frog Pose (Mandukasana)
Frog Pose is a wide-kneed hip opener on all fours: the knees slide apart, the shins stay parallel and the hips sink back toward the floor, usually resting on the forearms. Manduka means frog and asana means posture. In Yin it is a long, propped hold; in Vinyasa it is shorter and the legs work.
Pronunciation and meaning
Mandukasana: mun-doo-KAHS-uh-nuh. The stress falls on KAHS.
Frog Pose is a wide-kneed hip opener on all fours: the knees slide apart, the shins stay parallel and the hips sink back toward the floor, usually resting on the forearms. Manduka means frog and asana means posture. In Yin it is a long, propped hold; in Vinyasa it is shorter and the legs work.
How to do Frog Pose
- Come to hands and knees on a folded blanket, with extra padding under each knee.
- Slide the knees apart, a little at a time, until you feel the inner thighs. Turn the feet out so each shin runs parallel to the short edge of the mat, ankles in line with the knees.
- Lower onto your forearms, or onto a bolster under the chest, keeping the hips roughly level with the knees.
- Yin version: let the hips ease back and down and stay for two to four minutes, the legs and belly soft.
- Vinyasa version: press the forearms down, rock the hips gently forward and back for five slow breaths, then hold for three.
- To come out, walk the knees in and slide forward onto your belly, or sit back carefully toward your heels.
Teacher's note from Joahnna Lee
“Go as wide as the first clear stretch and stop. Frog grows by itself over a minute or two; you do not need to chase it.”
“Keep the ankles in line with the knees. If the feet drift in, the stretch moves into the knees, where we do not want it.”
“In the Yin version I want the thighs quiet. If you are gripping, bring the knees a little closer.”
Make it easier
- Half Frog: keep one leg long behind you and bend only the other, lying on your belly.
- Tadpole: bring the big toes to touch so the knees are wide but the shins angle in, which is gentler on the knees.
- Rest the chest on a bolster or a stack of pillows so the lower back stays easy.
Pregnancy and after birth
Pregnancy. Adapt. Keep the stretch mild, since ligaments loosen in pregnancy and it is easy to overstretch the inner thighs and the front of the pelvis. Use a bolster under the chest so the belly hangs free, keep the hold short, and leave it out if the pubic bone hurts. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.
After birth. Adapt. After your doctor or midwife clears you, start with Tadpole or Half Frog and short holds. Leave it out if you feel pain at the pubic bone or pressure at the pelvic floor.
Before adapting a pose, read is yoga safe during pregnancy on joahnnalee.com.
Common mistakes
- Forcing the knees wider than the hips allow, so the strain lands in the knee joint instead of the inner thighs.
- Letting the feet slide inward, which twists the knees.
- Arching the lower back and sticking the hips up. Let the hips drop a little and lengthen the tailbone back.
Frog is one of the strongest hip openers in a Yin practice, and one of the most padded. It looks simple and asks a lot of the inner thighs, so the props matter more than the depth.
In a slow Yin yoga practice it is set up with a blanket under every knee and a bolster under the chest before you sink in.
Frog in Yin and in Vinyasa
The two versions share a shape but not an intention. Yin lets the muscles go and waits; Vinyasa keeps the legs and forearms working and moves on after a few breaths. If Frog is too much on a given day, the upright Butterfly with the soles together works on the same inner thighs.
Standing up, the same wide knees work hard in the wide squat pose, a strong standing shape.
Frog Pose questions
How long should I hold Frog Pose?
In Yin, two to four minutes is usual, and one minute is plenty at first. In a Vinyasa class it is often five to eight breaths, sometimes with a gentle rocking. Come out sooner if a knee complains.
Why does Frog Pose hurt my knees?
Often the knees are on a hard floor, or the feet have drifted in so the shins are no longer parallel. Add padding, line the ankles up with the knees and narrow the stance. If the knee itself hurts, try Tadpole or skip it.