This deep-lunge stretch opens the hips, releases tension in your back, and decreases soreness in the lower body. Lizard helps speed up recovery and reduces the risk of injury in the hips, thighs, knees, and lower back. It also helps reverse the negative effects of prolonged sitting or inactivity.
Lizard Pose Target Areas
- Hip flexors
- Inner Thighs
Lizard Pose Benefits
- Relieves hip tension and soreness
- Increases hip flexibility for longer strides and deeper lunges
- Prevents common soft-tissue hip injuries
- Reduces lower-back pressure
– click images to enlarge –
How to Do Lizard Pose
- Start in Plank with your shoulders over your wrists and your core engaged. Form a straight line from head to heels.
- Step your left foot to the outside of your left hand. Align left knee over the ankle. Keep core engaged and hips level. If this movement from plank is difficult, rest your knees on the floor, then step the foot up.
- Lower your right knee to the floor and untuck your toes. Shift left foot forward and to the left a few inches until you feel a deep stretch in the right hip. Inch your right foot back to extend the right leg as far as you are able. Lift your chest. Maintain a flat or slightly arched back. Hold the posture, inhaling as you lengthen and lift the spine, and exhaling as you sink hips deeper. Repeat on the other side.
Cues for Lizard Pose
- Engage core
- Knee directly over ankle
- Lightly rest fingertips on floor
- Maintain flat back
- Keep knee directly above ankle
- Engage core
WHAT YOU SHOULD FEEL
- Stretch in right hip flexors and left inner thigh
- Engagement of left thigh
- Light core engagement
WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T FEEL
- Lower-back discomfort; if you do, flatten back and engage core
- Lack of stretching in hips; if so, widen stance and sink deeper into lunge
Lizard Pose Pro Tip
Press the top of your back foot into the floor and squeeze the back thigh to increase the intensity of this stretch.
Lizard Pose Modification
To help prevent back from rounding, rest hands on a block placed just inside the front foot.
If you want to try another step-by-step tutorial, try Forward Fold Pose: https://manflowyoga.com/blog/forward-fold-pose-for-men-and-beginners/
About Dean Pohlman, Founder & CEO of Man Flow Yoga, Author of Yoga Fitness for Men, Expert on Yoga Fitness for Men.
Dean Pohlman is making yoga more accessible to fitness-minded men. A former collegiate lacrosse player, Dean discovered yoga while recovering from injuries and quickly realized its potential to boost strength, mobility, and overall performance.
Since launching Man Flow Yoga in 2013, Dean Pohlman has built a global community that speaks for itself:
- 195,000+ customers
- 42+ million YouTube views
- 200,000+ followers across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
Dean’s book Yoga Fitness for Men has sold over 50,000 copies, while his Body by Yoga DVD series has surpassed 120,000 units sold, earning him consistent #1 rankings on Amazon and thousands of five-star reviews. He’s also been featured in Men’s Health, Muscle & Fitness, GQ Magazine, Fox Tampa Bay, The Chicago Sun, and on influential podcasts like The Ready State and Ben Greenfield Fitness.
With a focus on real results, community, and technique-focused instruction, Dean Pohlman continues to change the conversation around yoga. He’s not just teaching poses—he’s helping people build stronger, more capable bodies for life.
