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Today's Daily Tip

My Hero

At first glance, Virasana (Hero Pose) looks simple. You don't have to balance on your head or bend your spine backward ... (continued)

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Seated Forward Bend

Paschimottanasana

Paschimottanasa_248

(POSH-ee-moh-tan-AHS-anna)
paschimottana = intense stretch of the west (pashima = west
uttana = intense stretch)

Step by Step

Sit on the floor with your buttocks supported on a folded blanket and your legs straight in front of you. Press actively through your heels. Rock slightly onto your left buttock, and pull your right sitting bone away from the heel with your right hand. Repeat on the other side. Turn the top thighs in slightly and press them down into the floor. Press through your palms or finger tips on the floor beside your hips and lift the top of the sternum toward the ceiling as the top thighs descend.

Draw the inner groins deep into the pelvis. Inhale, and keeping the front torso long, lean forward from the hip joints, not the waist. Lengthen the tailbone away from the back of your pelvis. If possible take the sides of the feet with your hands, thumbs on the soles, elbows fully extended; if this isn't possible, loop a strap around the foot soles, and hold the strap firmly. Be sure your elbows are straight, not bent.

When you are ready to go further, don't forcefully pull yourself into the forward bend, whether your hands are on the feet or holding the strap. Always lengthen the front torso into the pose, keeping your head raised. If you are holding the feet, bend the elbows out to the sides and lift them away from the floor; if holding the strap, lighten your grip and walk the hands forward, keeping the arms long. The lower belly should touch the thighs first, then the upper belly, then the ribs, and the head last.

With each inhalation, lift and lengthen the front torso just slightly; with each exhalation release a little more fully into the forward bend. In this way the torso oscillates and lengthens almost imperceptibly with the breath. Eventually you may be able to stretch the arms out beyond the feet on the floor.

Stay in the pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. To come up, first lift the torso away from the thighs and straighten the elbows again if they are bent. Then inhale and lift the torso up by pulling the tailbone down and into the pelvis.


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Reader Comments

Sarah

1.Take the pose slow. Instead of trying to reach your head to your knees, focus on broadening through the chest and keeping the shoulder blades pressed onto the back while lengthening your heart out in front of you. You will hurt your back even more if you try to round it down in order to reach the full expression of the pose right now. Try using a strap around your feet and sit on a blanket. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Ainsley Clarke

'Draw the inner groins deep into the pelvis, Lengthen the tailbone away from the back of your pelvis.' How do I do this? How do I go from having a tight back and hamstrings to being able to do the asana properly? You make it look easy, use esoteric language and expect ordinary people who don't have the benefit of a qualified teacher in the same city as them not to get frustrated. For the love of God, please help.

Vanessa

I have to answer with some more questions: What would the breath be for you if not even? What have you experimented with? I think the answer might be that it depends what you are trying to achieve and watch how the breath moves the area you are targeting.

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If I like Yoga Journal and decide to continue, I'll pay just $16.95, and receive a full one-year subscription (9 issues in all), a 62% savings off the newsstand price! If for any reason I decide not to continue, I'll write "cancel" on the invoice and owe nothing.