Yoga Pose: Uttanasa (Intense Standing Forward Fold)
By Kerrie Cason

Yoga Pose: Uttanasana of Intense Forward Fold

Description:

Begin in Tadasana. Your feet can be together or hips distance apart. First take a deep inhale, and using your exhale, bow forward, bending at the hips. Don’t round your back — the idea is to eventually lay your stomach on your thighs. Until you can achieve this, merely bend at the hips and bow forward. You can place your hands on the floor or grab your elbows and hang. Try to keep your knees in line with your second toes.


As you inhale, feel your spine grow long. With your exhale, relax into your forward fold in order to bow a little deeper. You may want to keep a slight bend in your knees to allow your body to be comfortable. This will also prevent you from tearing or overstretching your hamstrings. As you did in Tadasana, keep lifting the inner and outer arches of your feet.

Contract your quadriceps and lift your kneecaps up. The energy used to engage your thigh muscles will help you find a deeper forward fold. Be aware of your shoulders; don’t let them collapse into your neck. Instead of using the muscles on your back, draw them away from your ears and bring your shoulder blades onto your back. Keep lengthening all four sides of your waist as you inhale and bow a little deeper with each exhale.

Benefits:

- Stretches the hamstrings
- Improves digestion
- Lowers blood pressure
- Can help with fatigue
- Can assist with mild depression

Risks:

- Hamstrings
- Knees
- Lower back

Contraindications: (Risks that make this posture inadvisable)

- Sciatica
- Slipped disc that is bulging outward

Yoga Pose Instruction for Easy Ways to Go Green, by Kerrie Cason
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Virasana (Hero Pose)
Balasana (Child’s Pose)
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog)


Click to Learn More About Kerrie Cason, Easy Ways to Go Green Yoga Instructor.

Copyright 2010 Easy Ways to Go Green, Kerrie Cason