March 2026

Tiger Pose

Vyaghrasana

From our teaching team · Caron Davies

Tiger Pose (pronounced roughly "ve-grasana") is a posture that is generally accessible for both beginners and seasoned practitioners.

Practice safely

These guides are for general education and are not medical advice or a substitute for in-person instruction. Yoga is physical, and every body is different: practice at your own risk, move within your own limits, and stop if something hurts. Talk with your physician before starting any new physical practice, especially if you are pregnant, injured, or managing a health condition. The safest place to learn any of these poses is in the room with a teacher who can see you, and our teachers adjust for every level in every class.

Possible benefits

  • Strengthens back, glutes, and hamstrings
  • Opens chest and shoulders
  • Improves spinal flexibility
  • Tones core and abdominal muscles
  • Enhances hip mobility
  • Boosts balance and body coordination
  • Stimulates digestion
  • Improves posture by engaging back muscles

Contraindications

  • Pregnant women, and people with recent injuries, abdominal surgery, a slipped disc, or spinal disorders should not practice this asana.

Steps to perform Tiger Pose

  • Begin with the Table Top Pose.
  • Inhale and extend one arm and the opposite leg long.
  • Exhale and stretch your extended leg up and over, bending your knee.
  • Reach back to catch your ankle with your extended arm as you inhale.
  • Look straight down to your mat, to the side, or up to the sky, and bring your toes as close as you can toward the back of your head — with the option to actively press your foot into your hand toward the back wall.
  • Slowly release your ankle and straighten both your leg and arm to stretch back out.
  • Hand and knee down to Table Top.
  • Switch sides and repeat with the opposite arm and leg.

Variations and add-ons

  • From Table Top, come into a deeply rounded Cat Pose (option to repeat several times before extending, bending, and catching your leg).
  • Take a few rounds of Cat/Cow before, after, and/or between sides.
  • Use a strap to catch and hold tension with your foot.
  • Only take the leg action.
  • Option to take an active reach back with your opposite arm.
  • Use slow, repetitive arm movements and knee bends coming into the shape before catching your ankle.

The story behind Tiger Pose

  • Symbolic meaning: "Vyaghra" means tiger and "Asana" means posture. The pose emulates the strength and agility of a tiger.
  • The legend of Sage Vyaghrapada ("tiger-footed"): he wished to gather flowers for Lord Shiva from the tops of trees and thorny areas. Shiva, impressed by his devotion, granted him the legs and claws of a tiger to traverse, climb, and jump with grace.
  • Origin in Hatha Yoga: rooted in traditional Hatha Yoga and mentioned in the 17th-century text Hatha Ratnavali as one of the 84 postures.
  • Tiger Pose stimulates the Manipura (solar plexus) and Swadhisthana (sacral) chakras, boosting self-confidence and creativity.

The best way to learn it is in the room.

Our teachers break down poses like this in every class, at every level. First class is $8.

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