Quick answer: at least five different yoga postures are called “frog pose”, and the two most common ones have almost nothing in common. Traditional Mandukasana is a kneeling forward bend with the fists pressed into the abdomen — a compression pose aimed at digestion. The frog pose taught in most modern studios is Adho Mukha Mandukasana, a deep groin stretch performed on all fours with the knees spread wide. If you searched for one and found instructions for the other, that is why. This guide covers both, and who should avoid each.
Five Poses, One Name
This is the single most useful thing on this page, and almost no article about frog pose says it plainly. Before following any instructions, work out which pose you are actually looking for.
| Name | What it looks like | Main effect |
|---|---|---|
| Mandukasana (traditional) | Kneeling on the heels, fists at the navel, bending forward | Abdominal compression, digestion |
| Adho Mukha Mandukasana (downward-facing frog) | On all fours, knees wide, shins back, forearms down | Deep groin and inner-thigh stretch |
| Yin frog pose | As above, but chest lowered and held 3 to 5 minutes | Long-hold connective tissue stretch |
| Uttana Mandukasana (extended frog) | Kneeling, knees wide, arms overhead or behind the head | Chest and upper-back opening |
| Bhekasana | Lying face down, holding the feet, chest lifted | Backbend, quadriceps stretch |
The confusion has a real origin. Both Mandukasana and Uttana Mandukasana appear in the Gheranda Samhita, a 17th-century hatha yoga text, among its list of useful asanas. The wide-kneed, forearms-down version is a later development that spread through modern Western studios, where it picked up the same English name. Bhekasana takes its name from a different Sanskrit word for frog altogether.
Practically: if you came here from Indian yoga instruction, you probably want the traditional kneeling version. If you came from a studio class or a hip-mobility video, you want the modern one.
Who Should Not Do These Poses
Read this before the instructions, not after. The two poses have different risks.
Skip the modern hip-opening frog pose if you have:
- A current or recent groin, adductor, or hamstring strain — this pose loads exactly that tissue at end range
- Knee problems, particularly meniscus injury or inner-knee pain. The wide-knee position puts sideways stress through the knee, which the joint is not built to absorb
- Hip impingement, a known labral tear, or hip pain that pinches deep in the groin when you open the leg outward. Forcing depth here tends to make impingement worse, not better
- Pelvic girdle or pubic symphysis pain, including during and after pregnancy, where wide-leg positions are commonly aggravating
- Recent hip or knee surgery, unless your surgeon or physiotherapist has cleared this specific position
Skip or modify traditional Mandukasana if you have:
- Pregnancy — the pose compresses the abdomen directly
- A hernia, recent abdominal surgery, or active stomach ulcers
- Knee or ankle problems that make kneeling on the heels painful — the base position is demanding before the pose even begins
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure or glaucoma, where forward bending with breath holding is generally advised against. If you practise this pose, breathe normally rather than retaining the breath
Practise the traditional version on an empty stomach, or several hours after eating. Abdominal compression on a full stomach is uncomfortable at best.
Traditional Mandukasana: How to Do It
- Kneel in Vajrasana — sitting back on the heels, knees together, spine upright, shoulders relaxed.
- Make fists with the thumbs tucked inside the fingers.
- Place the fists on the abdomen, either side of the navel or just below it, whichever is comfortable.
- Inhale, then exhale as you fold forward from the waist, letting the fists press gently into the abdomen. Keep the back long rather than rounded, and the neck relaxed.
- Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, breathing normally. Do not hold your breath unless you have been taught breath retention directly by a teacher.
- Rise slowly on an inhalation, easing the fist pressure first. Rest in Vajrasana or child’s pose.
- Two or three rounds is a typical practice.
If kneeling on the heels hurts your knees or ankles, place a folded blanket between your calves and thighs, or a rolled towel under the ankles. Sharp knee pain means come out, not push through.
Modern Frog Pose (Adho Mukha Mandukasana): How to Do It
- Start on all fours, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips. Pad the knees with a folded blanket — this pose is uncomfortable on a bare mat for most people.
- Slide the knees outward a little at a time. Go nowhere near your limit on the first attempt.
- Line the ankles up behind the knees, shins pointing sideways, inner edges of the feet on the floor.
- Lower onto the forearms, elbows under the shoulders.
- Keep the lower back long. Let the pelvis sink towards the floor without arching the lumbar spine or letting it collapse. Light abdominal engagement helps protect it.
- Hold 30 to 60 seconds to begin with, breathing steadily. Come out by walking the knees back together, slowly — exiting too fast is a common way to strain the groin.
What it should feel like: a broad stretch through the inner thighs and groin. What it should not feel like is a sharp pinch at the front of the hip crease, or any pain at the inner knee. Both mean back off immediately. The pinch usually indicates the bones are meeting at the edge of your hip’s range, and no amount of persistence will stretch that away.
A note on the Yin variation
Yin yoga holds frog pose with the chest lowered for three to five minutes. Long holds at end range are not a beginner’s exercise, and they are where most frog-pose groin strains happen. If you are new to the shape, stay with 30 to 60 seconds for several weeks first, and use a bolster under the chest or hips when you do progress.
What Frog Pose Actually Does — and What It Does Not
An earlier version of this article credited frog pose with benefits it does not deliver. Rather than quietly editing them out, here is what was wrong:
- “Increases core strength.” The modern frog pose is a passive stretch held in a supported position. It does not train the abdominal muscles. Removed.
- “Improves balance and coordination, especially for older adults or those with stability issues.” This is a floor pose with four points of contact and no balance component at all. Recommending a deep groin stretch to older adults with stability problems was poor advice as well as inaccurate. Removed.
- “Strengthens arms and legs” and “opens tight shoulders.” Neither is a meaningful effect of this pose. Removed.
- “Enhances blood flow throughout the body.” Vague and unsupported. Removed.
- “Primarily works the glutes and hamstrings.” It does not. The modern frog pose principally stretches the adductors — the inner thigh and groin muscles. Corrected.
- “Helps with lower back pain relief.” Not established, and a deep hip opener is not a general answer to back pain. Removed.
What it does do: the modern version stretches the adductors and mobilises the hips, which can be genuinely useful if you sit for long hours. The traditional version compresses the abdomen and is used in hatha practice for digestion and as a calming forward fold. Both encourage slow breathing, which many people find settling. Those are reasonable claims. The rest was inflation.
Does Mandukasana Treat Diabetes?
You will see this claim widely, usually phrased as the pose “stimulating the pancreas” through abdominal pressure. It is worth addressing directly because people act on it.
There is no good evidence that Mandukasana treats, controls, or reverses diabetes. Regular physical activity of many kinds — including yoga practice — supports blood sugar management as part of overall care, and that is a fair reason to practise. But no posture replaces medication, monitoring, or medical advice. If you have diabetes, practise yoga because you find it useful, and keep your treatment plan with your doctor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional Mandukasana is a kneeling forward bend: sitting back on the heels, fists pressed into the abdomen either side of the navel, folding forward. It appears in the Gheranda Samhita, a 17th-century hatha yoga text. The wide-kneed, forearms-on-the-floor pose taught in most modern studios is Adho Mukha Mandukasana, or downward-facing frog. They target completely different things — abdominal compression versus a deep groin stretch — so check which one your source is describing before following it.
The modern hip-opening version principally stretches the adductors — the inner thigh and groin muscles — while mobilising the hip joints. It is not a glute or hamstring stretch, and it does not strengthen the core, despite frequent claims to the contrary. The traditional kneeling version is not primarily a muscular stretch at all; its effect comes from compressing the abdomen.
Usually tight adductors meeting end range, or pressure on the knees against a hard floor. Both are manageable — narrow the knees, pad them with a folded blanket, and reduce the hold time. Two sensations are different and mean stop: a sharp pinch at the front of the hip crease, which suggests bone meeting bone rather than tissue stretching, and pain at the inner knee, which indicates sideways stress the joint is not designed for. Neither improves with persistence.
Avoid the modern hip-opening version with a current groin or adductor strain, knee problems including meniscus injury, hip impingement or a labral tear, pelvic girdle or pubic symphysis pain including in and after pregnancy, and recent hip or knee surgery unless specifically cleared. Avoid or modify traditional Mandukasana during pregnancy, with a hernia, recent abdominal surgery or active ulcers, with knee or ankle problems that make kneeling painful, and with uncontrolled high blood pressure or glaucoma.
Start at 30 to 60 seconds for the modern version and stay there for several weeks. Yin yoga holds the shape for three to five minutes, but long holds at end range are where most groin strains occur and are not a starting point. Traditional Mandukasana is typically held 20 to 60 seconds for two or three rounds, breathing normally rather than retaining the breath.
No. The claim that abdominal compression stimulates the pancreas and treats diabetes is widely repeated but not supported by good evidence. Regular physical activity, yoga included, supports blood sugar management as part of overall care, which is a fair reason to practise. No posture replaces medication, monitoring or medical advice, and treatment decisions belong with your doctor.
Related reading: tree pose (Vrikshasana) and five poses for hip internal rotation, which is the movement frog pose does not address.
Last updated: August 2026. Written by Evy Wilkins, who covers yoga and movement and is not a clinician. This article is general information, not personalised advice. If you have a hip, knee, back or pelvic condition, or you are pregnant, check with a doctor or physiotherapist before adding these poses to your practice, and work with a qualified teacher where you can.
