What is the horse pose in yoga? Only ‘3 out of 10 students’ can do it, instructor says

From auspicious horse-themed phrases and couplets to whether your luck is in, check out our Year of the Horse 2026 series to discover all you need to know about the coming Lunar New Year.\nIn yoga, some poses, or asana in Sanskrit, are associated with an animal for the way they look. The most commonly known is probably the downward-facing dog. There is also the cat-cow sequence, sleeping swan or pigeon, and the crane, lizard and tiger poses.\nHowever, some poses do not resemble the animals they are named after, including the horse, or horse face, pose.\nVatayanasana – vatayana can mean “horse” or “window” in Sanskrit – is an asana from the intermediate series in Ashtanga, a structured and rigorous yoga practice that focuses on moving with the breath; the style demands both strength and flexibility.\nIt is, essentially, a balancing pose, and the practitioner needs to find stability in a very advanced posture. Both legs are bent, with one in a low lunge position and the other in a half lotus pose, its knee touching the ground. The arms are crossed at the elbows into what is known as eagle arms.\n“This is more challenging than a basic balancing pose as it requires a high degree of hip opening,” says freelance yoga instructor Carrie Pun. “So students with tight hips will not be able to do the full pose.”\n\nShe advises doing plenty of warm-up and stretching exercises before attempting the asana.\nFor instance, pigeon pose can help open up the hips, and lizard pose can increase hip flexion needed for the leg in the low lunge position, while a wide-legged forward fold can help loosen the hamstrings and increase hip flexion and hip abduction. Those who do not have core or lower back strength can try the locust pose.\n“In my experience, probably three out of 10 students can do the full [horse] pose. Even those with flexible hips still need to have enough [mental and physical] coordination to balance and find stability with the two grounding points: the foot and the knee,” says Pun, who has been teaching yoga for 14 years.\nBeginners can always modify the pose: if their shoulders are too tight to do eagle arms, they can place their hands on their hips or just put their palms together. They are advised to place a towel underneath or use sufficient padding to protect the knees.\n\n\nThere are many benefits to practising the horse pose, such as helping boost circulation in the hip area.\n“The pose also increases hip mobility. It is also a good pose for concentration, body coordination, building strength, as well as shoulder mobility,” says Pun, adding that practitioners should not hold their breath when trying to balance.\n“It’s worth highlighting that this pose promotes body awareness, as there are many actions going on at the same time with the arms and legs, so concentration and breathing are the key in this practice.”\n