Goddess Pose Strengthens Hips, Knees, and Ankles

Goddess poseGoddess pose, which is also known as Deviasana, is a great pose to strengthen your hips, knees, and ankles. Because of the lack of depth of this squat-like pose, it’s really very safe and a good therapy choice for many people. Plus, the practice of checking the alignment of the knee is a good habit to have when practicing other, more complex poses like Warrior 2.

Also, tight shoulders can greatly benefit from this pose. By rotating the palms toward the ceiling, you create a broadness of the collarbones that helps put the shoulders in neutral position. When the shoulders move into a correct neutral position, the thoracic spine also becomes more neutral.

Goddess pose helps open and correctly align the whole body. This is part of what makes it a great pose for everyone.

Goddess Pose

  1. Use ujjayi breathing.
  2. Stand with your feet three or four feet apart with a slight turnout from your hips. (This turnout will ensure that later, when you bend your knees, your knees track over the middle of your foot or your toes.)
  3. Lift your toes and feel the four corners of your feet root into the floor beneath you. You should feel points of contact directly beneath the big toe, under the little toe, and on the inside and outside of your heel.
  4. Draw your belly button toward your spine to help you engage your abdominals.
  5. Reach your arms out to the side.
  6. From the shoulders, rotate your arms so that your palms face the ceiling. Feel how this rotation helps you broaden your collarbones and lift through your spine.
  7. Bend your elbows and turn your palms so they are facing forward.
  8. Spread your fingers.
  9. Bend your knees and lower into a somewhat squatted position. Make sure that your knees are correctly tracking over the middle of your foot. Don’t let your knees fall to the inside of your feet. This will cause pain and dysfunction.
  10. As you hold and breathe, feel your sacrum (tailbone) reach toward the floor as your skull reaches toward the ceiling.
  11. Keep your abdominals active throughout.
  12. Hold for 5-8 breaths.
  13. To finish, press through your feet, straighten your knees, and step your feet together.

Goddess Pose Video

Here is a video for visual learners.

Does this Goddess pose make you feel empowered? Let us know in the comments below.

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About Sarah Stockett

Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm a certified Pilates and yoga instructor with a passion for pain relief. I believe you can use simple exercises to relieve your aches + pains. AND, I believe I can teach you how.