Although the legs in this pose are the same as in janu sirsasana, the action in the spine is very different: Instead of rotating towards the extended leg, the rotation is away from the leg, and instead of flexion in the spine there is lateral flexion. This change in spinal action changes the action in the shoulder girdle and arms as well—notably, more lengthening occurs in the latissimus dorsi.

Side bending poses are great for releasing restrictions in the shoulder joints. When flexion of the glenohumeral joint is restricted, greater mobility can often be found by mobilizing the scapula in lateral flexion.

In this pose, the opposite sitting bone must stay on the ground to keep the pose’s action balanced. When side bending over the extended leg, the hip of the folded leg can come off the floor, which diminishes the lengthening in the back of the body, but increases the lengthening in the back of the extended leg.