UTTANASANA : Forward Bend Yoga Posture

Theme Yoga Postures for Fitness and total Wellbeing

The forward bend yoga postures helps stretching the limbs that we might not be stretching in general work. The Uttanasana would provide good exercises to our calves, hips and the hamstrings.

Before doing this posture you may do Paschimottanasana. It would help you to prepare your thighs and leg muscles to be ready for a standing forward bend posture. After doing this posture, you should do the Shavasana, Corpse Pose the relaxing pose.

How to Do Uttanasana

· After positioning you body in Tadasana, the straight standing pose, put your hands on the hips. While you exhale bend your torso forward. While bending, the aim should be to get your torso more and more bent forward.

· You can let your forehead touching the knees or your legs, or just in swinging position.

· Keep the palms flat on the ground or on your yoga net. You can remain in this position for 30 seconds to one minute. The beginners should not give more stress to any limb by stretching it for longer period.

Benefits of Doing Uttanasana

In addition to the general benefits of doing Yoga Postures, the Forward Bending Pose, Uttanasana would provide other benefits to those who practice it regularly.

· The first and important advantage of doing this posture is that it would strengthen our thighs and knees.

· As it provides good exercises to the intestines, too, it would help our digestion process positively.

· If you feel stressful after working during the day, this asana would help reducing your stress. As the head is going downward in this posture, the blood supply in head would be sufficiently increased.

This posture can be done with some variations, too. Instead of putting the palms flat on floor or on Yoga mat, we can keep it near the ankles, too. Generally the palms are kept around the ankles as if we have caught hold of the ankles with the hands.

In any of these variations, this yoga pose would work as stress reducing activity. The element of fatigue and anxiety is considerably reduced after doing this posture.

It is also observed that those who are suffering from the difficulties of insomnia have been benefited by doing this posture. (Image courtesy By Nemonoman at en.wikipedia [GPL], from Wikimedia Commons ) (Image courtesy By Joseph RENGER (œuvre personnelle) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0], from Wikimedia Commons

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