#3 Uttanasana – Standing Forward Bend Pose

(LONDON) por Paula Tooths

 

And following our sequence, today we have one more basic position!

 

“What if our religion was each other
If our practice was our life
If prayer, our words
What if the temple was the Earth
If forests were our church
If holy water — the rivers, lakes, and ocean
What if meditation was our relationships
If the teacher was life
If wisdom was self-knowledge
If love was the center of our being.”
~ Ganga White

 

Uttanasana has two lines of energy radiating outward from your center. Your hips will be in dog tilt, and the spinal column will be your primary line of energy. The idea is to elongate the spine outward through the crown of your head as you fold into the pose. This is the basic forward fold. Everything you learn here will be applicable to all forward folds. There are several excellent ways of practicing Uttanasana. The basic pose is shown here and i will post variations later.

 

paulatooths.com

 

Steps:

 

  1. Start in a standing position, hands on hips, legs together
  2. keep the toes pointing forward and root your feet deep into the earth
  3. lengthen your whole body and spine upward through the torso and top of your head
  4. keep your shoulders back and square
  5. exhale, bring your arms out to your sides
  6. tighten and activate your thigh muscles
  7. keep your sacrum or tail-bone gently scooped down and under
  8. bend forward from the hips keeping your back lengthened
  9. stretching your arms, move your hands to the legs, feet or the floor. Use a block if necessary
  10. relax your neck, head, face, and jaw
  11. as you inhale, draw the energy up the legs and into your pelvis
  12. as you exhale, lengthen and relax your spine
  13. hold this hatha yoga pose for as long as you desire, breathing in and out deeply
  14. to modify Uttanasana, on the inhale, lift and straighten your back, neck, and arms
  15. exhaling, return the head toward the knee’s, again lengthening your back and spine.

 

Benefits:

 

  • Uttanasana helps provide a complete stretching exercise to the entire back side of your body.
  • It has been observed that this asana helps rejuvenate the spinal nerves of a person and also tones the kidneys, liver, and spleen.
  • Those suffering from depression would find Uttanasana to be quite helpful, as it helps make the mind peaceful and calm.
  • Practicing this asana helps improve the flexibility of various body parts, including the spine, hips, sciatic nerves, tendons and ligaments of legs.
  • By soothing the brain cells, Uttanasana helps revitalize and invigorate the nervous system.
  • This asana has proved to be beneficial for people suffering from anxiety. It also improves eyesight and hearing.
  • Uttanasana improves blood circulation in the legs and also increases the suppleness of the hamstrings.
  • This asana provides nourishment to the facial skin, scalp, and even the hair roots.

 

Note:

In case you suffer from back pain or suffer from the problem of varicose veins, Uttanasana is not meant for you.
                    .

Hope you enjoyed!

Namaste.

x Paula