December Pose of the Month - Uttanasana

Uttanasana - Standing Forward Bend

There are two main stages to Uttanasana. Stage one is with a concave back and is important to learn first to bring extension to the spine, correct the position of the spinal muscles and avoid compression of the spine. The final stage, with the head down will then come with more ease in the body, mind and breath.

I have given a few variations, beginning with the final pose and then showing variations.



Begin in Tadasana (mountain pose) - see blog on Tadasana for more information, but make sure weight is distributed evenly between both feet, lift up from the inner ankles and engage the quadricep muscles. The spine lengthens, shoulders move down the back and the crown of the head lifts up towards the ceiling.

Inhale and raise the arms up overhead to Urdhva Hasta Tadasana. Keep the arms straight and extending up and the shoulder blades moving in and down the back so the shoulders move away from the ears.

Exhale and fold forward from the hips coming to stage 1 - concave back. Hands can either be on the floor or on blocks.

Inhale and exhaling fold forward from the crease of the hips bringing hands to the floor beside the feet. If hands don't easily reach the floor place them on blocks. Keep the kneecaps firm as the thigh muscles lift up and the thigh bones press back. Press firmly down into the feet and lift the tailbone up. The abdomen softens and the hip flexors soften so can gently release further forward. On each inhalation, lengthen more throughout the backs of the legs (watching not to hyper extend the knees), on the exhalation let the weight of the upper body draw the crown of the head towards the floor. Press into the floor or blocks to keep moving the shoulders away from the ears and the shoulder blades down and into the back. The legs should be perpendicular to the floor with tailbone in line with the heels. Let the face relax.
To come up, inhale to concave back position, then lift up as if by the sternum, keeping side body long back to Tadasana.

In this variation, begin in Tadasana with the feet hip width apart, inhale and raise arms up to Urdhva Hastasana, then catch the elbows. Exhale and fold forward from the hips. Follow same points as above for actions in legs and torso. The weight of the arms helps to further lengthen the spine and side body and is an alternative if hands don't reach the floor. To come up, inhale and lengthen back up, release arms back down to sides. If have back issues, bring hands to hips and then press to come up.

If difficult to keep legs straight and spine long can also rest arms and head on a bench, chair or counter.

Here is the full pose with hands on blocks. Good to use if hands do not reach the floor without the back rounding and knees bending. The blocks are for support, not to hold all of your weight.

Another variation is to support the head on blocks or if need a bolster (shown below) depending on your flexibility. It allows the brain and nervous system to rest further and to stay in the pose longer.
In this variation keep the feet hip width apart.

If you tend to be a little less flexible and find you feel like you are hanging halfway and not able to fold forward either due to tight hamstrings, hip flexors or tightness in the back and shoulders, sometimes it helps to place a blanket or towel at the hip crease (shown below).

This gives something to rest into. Also bending the knees so the torso can length helps until the flexibility comes to the legs.

To work on stage one - getting the spine concave the following pose can be done. This is especially good if you tend to have rounding forward in the upper back and shoulders.
Stand at the wall, with hands at the side ribs. Press into the wall and step back, keep feet hip width apart. Lengthen through the backs of the legs and the spine. as the thighbones press back relax the abdomen creating space at the hip flexors. Keep the head in line with the spine and don't let the mid-back sag down. To come up, look to wall, inhale and step back in.

Benefits:

Helps to massage internal organs when abdomen compressed. The concave back stage helps to lengthen and strengthen the spinal muscles improving posture and can also help relieve abdominal tension. The final stage, with head down relieves backache, stiffness in spine, neck and shoulders. Also, calms the nervous system as face softens and brain relaxes and improves flexibility in the legs.

Cautions:

Do not do final pose if have herniated disk, keep spine concave to avoid compression. If you feel dizzy use the chair, bolster or blocks to support the head.

Namaste.

Pamela Nelson

www.plnyoga.vpweb.com