Yoga – Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

Yoga Asanas For Dynamic Vitality:

Different asanas can help you relax or feel more energetic, improve concentration or calm your mind. Calming poses include those where the body closes in on itself, such as the Forward Bends and the Child. For a surge of energy, you should work through dynamic positions such as the Lightning Bolt and the Warrior. Balancing asanas such as the Tree and the Eagle aid concentration and the Warrior poses promote inner strength. Any of the poses that release tension, such as the Lying-down Twist or the Dog, can aid relaxation. But the classic relaxer is the Corpse. The way you breathe is almost as important in yoga as the way you move. Keep your respiration steady and match your movements to the flow of breath, breathing in with an upward or outward movement, out as you go down or sink deeper into a stretch. You soon start to notice how it helps you keep a rhythm to your movements. Aim to breathe out slightly more than you breathe in. Breathing exercises, or pranayama (controlling the life force), form part of a yoga routine. In the Ayurvedic view, the breath carries the prana, or life force, around the body in thousands of channels; pranayama helps keep this flow steady and unobstructed. Because one of the main channels runs down the spine, good posture helps keep it clear.

1. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana):
i. Sit upright on your tailbone with your legs together and straight out in front of you, toes up. On an outbreath, fold forwards from the hip to hold your ankles to your toes, without hunching your back. Ideally, keep your legs straight and bring your head down towards your knees, but let your knees bend if your back hurts, and don’t force yourself to reach further than is comfortable. Hold for upto 30 seconds, then slowly return, on an inbreath, to an upright sitting position.