Hatha Yoga

STANDING FORWARD BEND  – PADA HASTHASANA – All Levels –

• Stand upright with legs together, inhale and stretch arms up alongside ears, neck is relaxed and straight, back is straight, not arched.
• Exhale, bending forward from hips. Back, head and arms are in horizontal line. Weight is now distributed evenly on the feet.
• Still exhaling, and drawing belly backwards, bend forward aiming to catch hold of calves or ankles, clasping hands behind them, or hold big toes in classical foothold (index finger around big toe and thumb underneath, other three fingers are curled against the palm).  If difficult to catch toes with straight legs, a tip here is to bend knees slightly, grasp toes then try and straighten legs.
• The knees are kept straight. They are not over-extended. Aim to bring head to shins while keeping legs straight.  With each exhalation, while retaining the pose, one can feel the muscles and ligaments stretch, enabling further reach forward from the lengthening in the muscles.  The weight is now distributed forward, more on the ball of each foot to feel the stretch through the legs. An advanced variation is to bring arms behind knees and hold the elbows, with each exhalation pushing the arms lower down the calves. Another further stretch to legs – bring palms of hands under soles of feet so one is “standing” on the palms of hands.
• Hold the pose in whichever variation is chosen, for up to 1 minute with slow rhythmical breathing.

To come out of the pose:

Release the hands and bend the knees. Inhale and slowly come up with bent knees and curved back, unrolling vertebra by vertebra with arms and head hanging, or hands sliding up front of legs. Return to standing position. Head comes up last.

BENEFITS:

Physical benefits:
Ease stiff legs- if you are stiff from sitting for a long time in chairs, this standing pose uses the pull of gravity and quickly lengthens muscles and ligaments of the whole posterior of the body from heels to middle of the back. It stretches hips and lower back muscles.  It also prepares you for a triangle pose.

Other benefits: Brings blood supply to the brain, helps trim the waist when accompanied by a proper diet, helps overcome constipation.

Mental benefits:
The extra blood supply to the brain, the stimulation of the spine, and the activated sense of balance bring relief from a state of low energy. This tamas or low energy is characterized by sluggishness, inertia, sleepiness, forgetfulness and depression. (This is often found in the colder northern winter climates at this time of the year as characterized by Seasonal Affective Disorder).

If your body is strong and healthy with much prana, you will have a natural tendency to produce health and vitality in those close to you. – Sw. Vishnudevananda

This yoga asana is an edited contribution for the Sivananda Gurugram partly sourced and edited from the Sivananda Publication : “Yoga: Your Home Practice Companion” – Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre – 2010.

The moment you turn your mind Godward, you will gain immense strength and peace. – Swami Vishnudevananda