Featured Pose: Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

by Baxter 

Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana) provides an excellent stretch for the muscles and fascia of your entire back body, from your heels to the back of your head. In general, many of you will also find the pose soothing to your nervous system and quieting for your mind and emotions, so it’s a good pose to include at the end of a practice, to prepare you for relaxation or meditation. The exception to this that some of you who experience intense stretch sensations in your back body in the pose due to muscle tightness may feel agitated instead. Two of our variations below, however, can help even some of you stiffer people find a more peaceful experience. 

I prescribe this pose for:

• Improving flexibility in the spine, hips, hamstrings and calves 
• Stimulating your digestive system 
• Soothing your nervous system 
• Quieting your mind 
• Managing stress 
• Reducing anxiety 
• Improving insomnia 

Cautions: Two vulnerable areas can potentially be aggravated or injured in this pose: the lower back and the starting point of the hamstrings near your sitting bones. Therefore, if you have lower back disc problems, lower back pain, or a torn hamstring tendon, you should avoid this pose altogether. Those with osteoporosis and osteopenia should only do versions 2 and 4, and those with wedge fractures also should only do version 2. See Friday Practice Pointers: Forward Bending of the Spine for more info. And if the pose worsens symptoms of depression, don’t practice it. Pregnant women in the second or third trimesters should practice only version 4 of the pose or substitute with Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend (Upavista Konasana). 

 

1. Classic Version

If you typically use support in seated poses, set up a folded blanket on your mat to support your hips and if you can’t easily reach your feet in this pose, place a strap where you can easily grab it. Then, sit either on the edge of the folded blanket or directly on the mat with your legs straight out in front of you. With knees straight, either bend your ankles and feet forward to a 45-degree angle (which can help with hamstring and calf muscle tightness) or flex your feet to a 90-degree angle. 

Elongate your spine, and then on an inhalation take your arms overhead. On your exhalation, tip forward from your hips. When your hips stop rotating forward, release your arms and reach your hands towards your feet. When you come to a comfortable limit, either bring your hands on to your feet if you are flexible enough or place the strap around your feet as shown in the photo above if you are less flexible (if you don’t have a strap, you can place your hands on the outsides of your legs—this could be your knees if you are really tight). 

With your hands in position, mindfully release your spine into a forward bend. Keep your arms firm to stabilize your forward bend, but do not use them to pull your chest closer to your thighs; this could strain your lower back or worse. Instead, with each round of breath, invite your body to release into the forward fold. Look for a reasonable stretch sensation along the backs of your legs and spine, letting your internal experience of sensation be your guide rather than the desire to look like a photo in a yoga magazine. 

Start by holding the pose for about one minute or 16 rounds of breath, and gradually work up to longer holds, as long as 2-4 minutes. To come out of the pose, strongly engage your leg muscles and, on an inhalation, release your hands and come back up to an upright position as you sweep your arms towards the sky. Then, exhale and release your arms to your sides. If you are tight, try bending your knees to release the tension in the backs of your legs. 

2. Straight Back (Extended Spine) 

This variation is excellent for those who cannot safely round their spines, such as those with lower back pain, disc issues, or osteopenia or osteoporosis with or without wedge fractures (see See Friday Practice Pointers: Forward Bending of the Spine for more info). 

If you use a blanket and/or strap in the classic version, use them in this version as well. Enter the pose as with the classic version, but after tipping initially from your hips and bringing your hands into position, instead of rounding your spine forward, keep your spine extended as you would if you were trying to do a slight backbend. Keep your head and neck in a neutral position, aligned with your spine rather than thrown back. 

Use the same timing for this variation as for the classic version. And come out of the pose in the same way. 

3. Knee Support 

This variation is excellent for those of you who are very tight in hamstrings and buttocks because practicing with bent knees takes tension out of those muscles and allows you to tip your hips more easily over your legs (you probably won’t need a strap!). And, for others, this variation is as relaxing and restorative as version 4. 

Before coming into the pose, place a round bolster or a thick blanket roll underneath your knees, so your knees are bent and your legs are relaxed and completely supported. From there, follow the instructions for the classic version. 

4. Restorative Version 

Using a chair to support your head and arms allows you to experience the quieting nature of this pose without any strain. So this version is appropriate for anyone who wants to practice Seated Forward Bend as a restorative pose, either as part of a restorative sequence or simply on its own. This variation is also for those who cannot safely round their spines (except those with or at risk of wedge fractures), as well as for those with tight hamstrings and buttocks. 

Start by sitting in front of the chair (if the chair has a hard seat, place a folded blanket or sticky mat on it to create a softer surface). Sit on a folded blanket if you use one in the classic version. Then extend your legs straight in front of you and between the legs of the chair, so your feet and calves are under the chair seat. (You will have to experiment with having the chair closer or farther away from your hips find a distance that allows either for a straight spine or for just a gentle rounding that does not stimulate much stretch in the back of the spine or legs.) 

Come into the pose as you did for the classic version, and as you extend your spine toward the chair, place your forearms on the chair seat near its front edge. Now release your neck and rest your head on your arms, gently rounding your spine only if necessary. (If the chair seat isn’t high enough for you, try adding a folded blanket on top of the seat.) 

Start by holding the pose for about one minute or 16 rounds of breath, although if you are very comfortable, you could stay for much longer, for 5 minutes or a bit more. Come out of the pose slowly by rolling your head and chest up to a sitting position. Then bend your knees a bit and use your hands to help you scoot back away from the chair. 

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Friday Q&A: Positioning Your Buttocks in Seated Forward Bends

Paschimottanasana (Hamstring Challenged!)

Q: A friend of mine recently completed a yoga teacher training. She was told to not lift the butt cheeks back (move them out of the way) in Paschimottanasana (seated straight leg forward bend) because it might strain a tendon when you do the forward fold. I have always lifted my butt cheeks back, because as you know (despite now 21+ years of yoga) I am “hamstring challenged.” Your thoughts on this? Thanks! 

A: Thank you for this clarification question on how to approach this specific pose. To restate the question/warning: we have a new graduate of yoga teacher training that has learned that when doing the seated forward bend Paschimottanasana, you should not reach under your buttocks flesh and pull it backwards due to the risk of straining a tendon while folding into the pose. And my experienced opinion is—that it depends!

Before I get to what it depends upon exactly, I would like to share some personal perspective on this fairly typical instruction for Paschimottanasana. I started off my yoga class experience attending a lot a classes in the Iyengar tradition. In that tradition (and in many others, I suspect), this adjustment to your pelvis was almost always used right before you started bending forward. The rationale seemed to go something like this: in seated forward bends, unlike standing ones, the pelvis/buttock flesh/sit bones are “stuck” somewhat on the floor by friction and gravity, and not as free to rotate forward (the action of forward rolling of the pelvis over the head of the thigh bones) into the pose. So, by lifting the buttock flesh and pulling it back on each side, you are encouraging some of that anteversion of the pelvis that allows you to fold forward more deeply. In an otherwise healthy individual, this could allow more overall forward fold of the pelvis and torso, and would not significantly increase the likelihood of injuring a tendon.

What tendon is our mystery teacher referring to? Well, in all likelihood it is the origin of the Hamstring tendon at the sitting bones right and left.

Actions that are more likely to lead to injuring this tendon in yoga include quick contractions when the muscles are not adequately warmed up, such as jumping back into Chaturangha Dandasana (low Push-up position) from Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) or aggressively pulling the torso into forward bends of any ilk using the hands and arms on the feet or ankles. The use of a strap on the feet in Paschimottanasana and pulling hard on it to get you body to fold more deeply over the legs could also put you at risk for injury to the tendon of the hamstrings. 

Another factor to consider is what the underlying benefits and purpose of this seated forward bend are. According to Light on Yoga, Mr. Iyengar claims the pose, “tones the abdominal organs and keeps them free from sluggishness. It also tones the kidneys, rejuvenates the whole spine and improves the digestion.” Wow! And he goes on to list a whole bunch of other benefits as well. It is hard to know how much of this is actually true, as no one has done an isolated study on just this pose to confirm these assertions, so take them with a large grain of salt. One other purported benefit of Paschimottanasana and variations of it, such as Janusirsana, is that this group of poses is quieting to the mind and emotions. Again, not a lot of formal study to prove this, and if you are like me and have very tight hamstrings, being encouraged to go deeper into the forward fold has the opposite effect on my mind and emotions. So, the way one enters and maintains the pose is going to support or conflict with this possible benefit of Paschimottanasana.

But from a more purely musculoskeletal perspective, taking the forward fold to your own personal edge of feeling resistance to going further could have the following benefits:

• improve forward anteversion of the pelvis
• lengthen the hamstrings as well as the posterior muscles of the spine
• bring some compression to the front hip joints and abdominal area

And the essential factor to consider is that everyone’s Paschimottanasana is going to have a different end point of bending that will be beneficial in creating these actions and simultaneously remain safe for the hamstring tendon, not to mention the lower lumbar area (an entirely separate issue!). That unique end point is determined by lots of individual factors, such as your skeleton, your joint capsule and ligaments, and the tone of your muscular and fascial system, to name just the most obvious variables.

So how does that translate into the warning we are discussing today? If a practitioner does not have a previous strain to the hamstring tendon, then making the buttocks adjustment can reasonably be tried. From that point forward, the key to keeping the hamstrings stretching safely as you mindfully fold forward is to monitor the sensation feedback you are getting from the leg muscles to your brain. If pain arises, back off a bit, even if you have only pivoted forward 10 degrees. That might be your ideal spot to work today. And I never have students pull with the hands and arms on the feet or legs to “go deeper” into the forward bend. That is a potential recipe for hamstring disaster! So, use your hands to stabilize your torso, but don’t pull. Finally, fold forward in a way that does create some sensation of stretch and compression in the areas mentioned above, while also allowing your breath to stay relaxed and, body willing, your mind and emotions to remain calm. Then, watch the benefits accrue. 

—Baxter

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Soothing Yourself with Supported Forward Bends

by Nina

As I discussed yesterday in Anxiety, Yoga and the Front Body, supported forward bends can be wonderfully quieting and soothing. You can use these poses to calm yourself when you’re feeling anxious or to turn inward when you’ve been over-stimulated. However, you do need to set up for them properly. By that I mean that the poses need to be completely comfortable. If they’re not completely comfortable for you, they’re going to be irritating and maybe even aggravating, which defeats the whole purpose of practicing them.

To be comfortable in these poses, you need to:

• Pick the seated position that is best for your body (crossed legs, straight legs or wide angle legs). Experiment and see which of the three poses described below are most effective for you.
• Choose the propping (bolster, pillows, stack of blankets or chair) that is truly comfortable for you. Be honest with yourself about the height you need to be comfortable, rather than imitating a photograph.

Crossed-Legs Forward Bend

If your hips are more flexible than the backs of your legs, you might prefer sitting with crossed legs (Sukasana) as in the following two photos.

Unless you are super flexible, start by sitting with crossed legs on a height, such as a folded blanket, with the bolster, stack of blankets, or chair in front of you. Then, bending from your hip joints without rounding your back, slowly fold forward. When you reach the full extension of your spine, allow your back to gently round as you come down toward the prop. (If rounding irritates your lower back, do the version with the chair and keep your back straight.)

Fold your arms, with elbows out to the sides, and stack your hands on the prop. Then rest your forehead on your hands, gently tugging your forehead skin down towards your eye. Stay for two or three minutes (or longer if it's delicious), switching the cross of your legs half way through.

Straight Legs Forward Bend

If your legs are more flexible than your hips (this is somewhat atypical but some people—like me—have this body type), you might find it easier to do the pose with straight legs (Paschimottanasana), as in the next two photos.

Unless you are super flexible, start by sitting with straight legs on a height, such as a folded blanket, with the bolster, stack of blankets on top of your legs or chair over them. Then, bending from your hip joints without rounding your back, slowly fold forward. When you reach the full extension of your spine, allow your back to gently round as you come down toward the prop. (If rounding irritates your lower back, do the version with the chair and keep your back straight.)

Fold your arms, with elbows out to the sides, and stack your hands on the prop. Then rest your forehead on your hands, gently tugging your forehead skin down towards your eye. Stay for two or three minutes (or longer if it is delicious), keeping your legs lightly active.

Wide Angle Forward Bend

People who are relatively flexible in both the hips and legs often find wide angle legs (Upavistha Konasana) the most comfortable position for a forward bend, as shown in the next two photos. Unless you are super flexible, start by sitting with wide angle legs on a height, such as a folded blanket, with the bolster, stack of blankets, or chair in front of you. Then, bending from your hip joints without rounding your back, slowly fold forward. When you reach the full extension of your spine, allow your back to gently round as you come down toward the prop. (If rounding irritates your lower back, do the version with the chair and keep your back straight.)

Fold your arms, with elbows out to the sides, and stack your hands on the prop. Then rest your forehead on your hands, gently tugging your forehead skin down towards your eye. Stay for two or three minutes (or longer if it is delicious), keeping your legs lightly active.

Sequencing

Of course, there is no reason why you can’t do more than one of these poses or all three. And by doing more than one pose, you’ll increase the quieting effects. If I were to sequence them, I do them as follows:

1. Seated Crossed Legs Forward Bend (Sukasana)
2. Wide Angle Forward Bend (Upavistha Konasana)
3. Straight Legs Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

But you can sequence these poses in any way that feels good to you. Before practicing these poses, you might like to do some Reclined Leg Stretches (see Reclined Leg Stretch Sequence) as stretching your legs and hips beforehand can make the forward bends more comfortable. And if your lower back feels irritated after the forward bends, I recommend doing Legs Up the Wall pose (Viparita Karani), with your lower back supported by a bolster (tailbone hanging just off the bolster) as a counter pose. In Viparita Karani, your lower back is in a slight backbend, which will help restore the curve to your lower back, but since the pose is overall a quieting one, it allows you to maintain the quieting effect of your practice.

Finally, some people just do not enjoy the effects of a long forward bend; they find that the poses elicit an unpleasant, heavy feeling that is kind of deadening rather than soothing. If that’s true for you, supported inverted poses (see Just In Time for the Holidays: Inverted Poses) may be better options. Remember, when working with yoga for emotional wellbeing, your own reactions to the poses should be your guide.

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