Human Knot

The Human Knot is a deep forward bend and hip opener where the practitioner lies on their back, brings both legs over their head, crosses their ankles behind their neck, and then wraps their arms around their legs and torso to clasp their hands behind their lower back. The goal is to achieve a compact, folded shape where the body resembles a tightly bound knot.

Key Elements of the Pose:

• Legs Behind Head: This is the defining characteristic. Both feet/ankles are placed behind the head, with the legs extended as much as possible.
• Crossed Ankles: The ankles are typically crossed behind the neck, often with one foot on each side of the head.
• Arms Wrapped: The arms thread through the space created by the legs, circling around the outside of the legs and the torso to clasp hands behind the back.
• Reclined Position: The pose is performed lying down, allowing gravity to assist in the forward fold and providing a stable base.

Human knot is one of the classic staples of a frontbending performance. The best form for this trick is through keeping the back as flat as possible with the hips doing as much of the work as they will allow. The most basic variety of this pose is performing it laying down, doing it this way means that a performer doesn't have to worry about finding their balance as they are placing their feet.