You can always do one-legged yoga poses to test your stability. Don't do them just for fun or to test yourself. Standing on one leg to perform yoga poses can help to achieve balance and strength. Such asanas are particularly beneficial for older adults as with age, people tend to have balance issues. Improving balance is important as it can lower the risk of falls. If you are a beginner, you may find such poses overly challenging. However, with consistent practice and patience, you can learn to master these poses. Remember to begin gradually and adjust the one-legged yoga poses to suit your fitness level.

Yoga to improve balance

As a youngster, you may not have balance issues. A 2012 analysis published in Current Gerontology And Geriatrics Research, showed that the ability to balance declines with age. You should work on it as it may be connected to your life span. In a study, published in the British Journal Of Sports Medicine in 2022, a link was found between the ability to balance and a longer life. Researchers found an 84 percent higher risk of death from any cause for people who were not able to stand on one leg for 10 seconds.

Yoga helps to enhance balance. Image courtesy: Freepik

Regularly doing yoga may help to deal with balance issues. It may help to reduce fear of falling and improve balance in elderly people, as per research published in PM&R in 2016. Another study, published in Plos One in 2023, showed that following a 16-week yoga intervention, the ability of people who performed yoga were able to balance their body better.

12 one-legged yoga poses you should do

"Try these one-legged yoga poses to enhance balance and strengthen your body," says yoga expert Fenil Purohit.

1. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)

• Tree Pose is one of the best one-legged yoga poses, so stand straight, transfer your weight to your left foot and bend your right knee.
• Keep your right foot against your inner left thigh or calf, avoiding your knee.
• Bring your hands together at your heart center or raise them overhead.
• Maintain this pose for 5 to 10 breaths, then switch to the other side.

2. Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)

• To do one of the Warrior poses, stand with your right foot positioned forward.
• As you put more weight onto your right foot, extend your left leg straight back.
• Lean your torso forward until it is parallel to the ground.
• Stretch your arms forward or keep them relaxed at your sides.
• Hold it for 5-10 breaths, then change sides.

3. Dancer’s Pose (Natarajasana)

• To do one of the popular one-legged yoga poses, stand straight, transfer your weight to your left foot and bend your right knee.
• Grasp your right ankle with your right hand.
• Extend your left arm forward while lifting your right leg upward.
• After holding this pose for 5 to 10 breaths, switch sides.

4. Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

• Stand upright and slightly bend both your knees.
• Cross your right thigh over your left thigh.
• Optionally, wrap your right foot around your left calf.
• Cross your right arm beneath your left arm, bringing your palms together.
• Hold this pose for 10 breaths, then change sides.

5. Standing Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)

• Stand tall and lift your right leg, bending your knee.
• Grasp your big toe with your right hand.
• Straighten your right leg forward (or keep it bent).
• Extend your left arm out to aid in balance then switch sides after 10 seconds.

6. Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)

• Stand straight, stretch your right leg and move your weight onto your right foot.
• Position your right hand on the floor or a yoga block.
• Raise your back leg (left) so that it is parallel to the ground.
• Open your chest and stretch your left arm upwards.
• Maintain the pose for 10 breaths then switch to the opposite side.

7. Chair Pose with One Leg (Eka Pada Utkatasana)

• Stand then lower your body like sitting in an invisible chair.
• Transfer your weight to your left foot and elevate your right knee.
• Find your balance with your arms either extended forward or raised overhead.
• Hold the position for at least 5 breaths then switch to the other side.

8. Warrior I with One Leg Lifted

• Stand straight, stretch your right leg and shift your weight onto it.
• Slightly lift your back leg (left one) off the ground.
• Balance with your hands in a prayer position or extended overhead then switch side after 10 breaths.

9. Revolved Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana) on One Leg

• Stand then lower your body in a sitting position.
• Slightly lift your right leg off the ground.
• Twist your torso and bring your left elbow to your right thigh.
• Change side after holding this pose for about 5 seconds.

10. Revolved Half Moon Pose (Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana)

• Start in Warrior III.
• Place your right hand on the floor or a yoga block.
• Twist your torso to the right while extending your left arm upward.
• Switch side after 10 breaths.

11. One-Legged Mountain Pose (Eka Pada Tadasana)

• Stand tall.
• Lift your right knee to hip height, ensuring your hands remain on your hips.
• Focus on maintaining your balance while engaging your core.
• Hold this position for about 5 breaths then transition to the opposite side.

12. Standing Split (Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana)

• To do one of the best one-legged yoga poses, bring the front of your upper body towards your lower body like folding your body.
• Shift your weight onto your left foot and raise your right leg upward.
• Keep your hands on the ground or hold onto your standing ankle for stability.
• Sustain this pose for 5 to 10 breaths, then switch sides to continue doing one of the best one-legged yoga poses.

Benefits of one-legged yoga poses

Doing one-legged yoga poses is great for your body:

1. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)

• It stabilises muscles in the ankles and knees, promoting joint health.
• "It also stimulates the pelvic floor and lower abdominal muscles, aiding in spinal alignment," Says the expert.

2. Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)

• This is one of the best one-legged yoga poses as it fortifies the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back muscles that are essential for movement and spinal support.
• Enhances core stability by engaging the transversus abdominis and erector spinae.
• Improves balance by developing proprioceptive feedback from the feet and legs.

3. Dancer’s Pose (Natarajasana)

• Good for the quadriceps and hip flexors that can help in contributing to improved stability.
• Stretches the psoas and iliacus muscles, alleviating tension in the hip region.
• Enhances chest expansion, which boosts lung capacity and oxygen intake.

4. Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

• The Eagle Pose improves joint mobility in the shoulders, hips, and knees.
• "It stabilises muscles in the ankles and feet, reducing the risk of injuries," says the expert.

Eagle Pose is one of the popular one-legged yoga poses. Image courtesy: Adobe Stock

5. Standing Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)

• Good for the muscles in the ankles, feet, and core.
• Enhances flexibility in the hamstrings and hips by lengthening the posterior chain.
• Promotes hip joint mobility, reducing stiffness and enhancing range of motion, making it one of the best one-legged yoga poses.

6. Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)

• Strengthens the gluteus medius, improving hip stability and reducing lower back strain.
• Enhances spinal alignment and rotation through lateral engagement of the body.

7. Chair Pose with One Leg (Eka Pada Utkatasana)

• Strengthens the quadriceps and calves, enhancing joint stability.
• "It engages the core, improving spinal alignment and toning abdominal muscles," says Purohit.
• Enhances functional balance by stimulating sensory feedback from the foot.

8. Warrior I with One Leg Elevated

• Strengthens hip flexors and extensors essential for maintaining balance and posture.
• Activates lower back muscles and glutes to enhance pelvic stability.

9. Revolved Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana) on One Leg

• Strengthens the oblique and multifidus muscles, enhancing spinal rotation and stability.
• Stimulates digestive organs through abdominal compression and massage.
• "It enhances endurance in the quadriceps and flexibility in the lower back," says the expert.

10. Revolved Half Moon Pose (Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana)

• Strengthens core muscles for better spinal rotation and stability.
• Improves flexibility in the hips and hamstrings by stretching the posterior chain.
• "It activates the thoracic spine, promoting improved rotational mobility," says Purohit.

11. One-Legged Mountain Pose (Eka Pada Tadasana)

• This version of Mountain Pose strengthens foot muscles, enhancing arch stability and balance.
• Activates deep core muscles, including the psoas and rectus abdominis.
• Improves postural alignment by promoting an upright spinal position.

12. Standing Splits (Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana)

• Stretches hamstrings, calves, and gluteal muscles, alleviating stiffness.
• Strengthens the standing leg and core, fostering muscular endurance.
• Enhances hip flexibility and aids in decompressing the lower back.

Who should avoid one-legged yoga poses?

• People with knee injuries should not practice one-legged yoga poses.
• People who underwent surgery, especially related to hips and knees should avoid them.
• One-legged yoga poses need physical strength. People with weak knees and ankles should skip these asanas.
• Pregnant women may fall down while doing these asanas and hurt themselves, so avoid them.

One-legged yoga poses may seem to be challenging at first. Be calm and concentrate on a fixed point to maintain balance while doing these asanas. If you are not confident, you can practice close to a wall or incorporate blocks for additional support.

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