Wide – Legged Standing Forward Bend

Sanskrit Name: Prasarita Padottanasana

Good for: Lower back, depression, headache

Benefits

•     Provides the required fuel to the abdominal organs and stimulates them for better functioning
•     Provides calmness and peace to the mind
•     Helps relieve pain in lower back
•     Treats mild depression and anxiety

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guidelines

•     Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), facing one of the long edges of your sticky mat
•     Step or lightly hop your feet apart anywhere from 3 to 4 1/2 feet depending on your height *taller people should step wider*
•     Rest your hands on your hips
•     Make sure your inner feet are parallel to each other
•     Lift your inner arches by drawing up on the inner ankles
•     Press the outer edges of your feet and ball of the big toe firmly into the floor
•     Engage the thigh muscles by drawing them up
•     Inhale and lift your chest, making the front torso slightly longer than the back
•     Exhale and, maintaining the length of the front torso, lean the torso forward from the hip joints
•     Press your fingertips onto the floor directly below your shoulders as your torso approaches parallel to the floor
•     Extend your elbows fully
•     Your legs and arms then should be perpendicular to the floor and parallel to each other
•     Move your spine evenly into the back torso so that your back is slightly concave from the tailbone to the base of the skull
•     Bring your head up, keeping the back of the neck long, and direct your gaze upward toward the ceiling
•     Push your top thighs straight back to help lengthen the front torso
•     Draw the inner groins away from each other to widen the base of your pelvis
•     Take a few breaths
•     As you maintain the concavity of your back and the forward lift of your sternum, walk your fingertips between your feet
•     Take a few more breaths and then, with an exhalation, bend your elbows and lower your torso and head into a full forward bend
•     Make sure as you move down that you keep your front torso as long as possible
•     If possible rest the crown of your head on the floor
•     Press your inner palms actively into the floor, fingers pointing forward
•      If you have the flexibility to move your torso into a full forward bend, walk your hands back until your forearms are perpendicular to the floor and your upper arms parallel
•     Be sure to keep your arms parallel to each other
•     Widen the shoulder blades across the back
•     Draw your shoulders away from your ears
•     Stay in the pose anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute
•     To come out, bring your hands back on the floor below your shoulders
•     Lift and lengthen your front torso
•     Then with an inhalation, rest your hands on your hips
•     Pull your tail bone down toward the floor
•     Swing the torso up
•     Walk or hop your feet back into Tadasana

Good to know

•     In case of lower back pain strictly avoid forward bend because they can further worsen the situation
•     Beginners sometimes cannot easily bring their hands to the floor therefore they can use a support in the initial times when they are at the learning stage
•     Try rising your hands off the floor by resting each on the end of a block
•     If your back is still curvy, then use a portablechair to provide safe support to your forearms
•     In case of forward bends always keep in mind to emphasize the length of the front torso

By : Natural Health News

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