Hatha yoga is known for several iconic poses, including the seated forward bend, also known as paschimottanasana. You will feel a nice stretch all the way up the back of your body, from the back of your calf muscles to the back of your hamstrings to the back of your spine.
Instructions in a Sequence of Steps
- To begin, come to a seated position in Dandasana (Staff Pose), with your legs out in front of your body in a straight line.
- Put your arms at your sides, then bring them up and over your head, extending your fingers toward the ceiling as you do so.
- Take a deep breath in and lengthen your spine as you exhale.
- As you exhale, start to hinge forward at the hips and come forward into the pose. Imagine that your pelvis is a bowl filled with water that is slowly being tipped forward.
- On each inhalation, extend your spine. To do this, you may need to straighten up a little bit from your forward bend.
- Increase the depth of your forward bend with each exhalation. Imagine that instead of your nose coming to rest on your knees, your stomach is coming to rest on your thighs. You will be able to maintain a long spine as a result of this.
- Maintain the position of your neck so that it is an extension of your spine, neither craning it to gaze up nor entirely letting it go.
- Once you have reached your maximum extension with the spine long, you will need to choose whether you want to hold this position or allow your spine to curve forward.
- Grab hold of your shins or ankles, depending on which one is easier for you to get to. Another option is to wrap a strap over both of your feet. Maintain a forceful flex in your feet throughout the whole exercise.
Benefits
You can stretch these regions and help open up your hips by adopting this stance. Runners, who often suffer from hamstring tightness, can benefit tremendously from this stretch. This posture, like many others in the yoga canon, is regarded to be a soothing stance. It has been suggested that doing forward bends might assist in relieving tension and possibly enhance one’s mood.
His asana is beneficial for a variety of physiological systems, including those dealing with diabetes and high blood pressure. In addition, the pose of paschimottanasana is beneficial to the body as a whole and offers a wonderful stretch. This asana stretches the whole back half of the body, beginning at the ankles and working its way up to the head.
In addition to this, it helps reduce fat in problem areas such as the thighs, hips, and stomach. This asana may alleviate the pain associated with menstruation and the transition into menopause. However, before attempting this asana, you should ensure that both your bowels and stomach are completely empty.
This asana is excellent for stretching the back region of the body, which it does all the way up from the ankles to the head. When the muscles at the front of the body are tensed, this puts pressure on the torso and the belly, which in turn improves the functions of the respiratory system and the intra-abdominal glands, with a particular emphasis on secretions.
It is possible to get more flexibility in the lumbar area, as well as in the thighs and hips. There is an improvement in the blood circulation in the back, and the nerves in the spinal cord are toned as a result of the exercise. The hips, thighs, and abdominal area may all benefit from this asana’s ability to burn fat. This particular asana not only cleanses the Nadis but also activates the Kundalini Shakti.