Friday Practical Pointers: Forward Bending of the Spine

by Baxter

We are often asked by someone if they should avoid certain movements in the joints when doing yoga poses, especially if that person has something going on a particular area. Perhaps the most common area that I get asked about is the movements of the spine (see All About the Spine: Anatomy and Movements for info on spinal movements) These include forward bending (known technically as flexion of the spine), back bending, (known technically as extension of the spine), twisting (known as rotation of the spine), and side-bending (often referred to as lateral side-bending of the spine). There are, of course, possible combinations of these movements in complex everyday activities, such as reaching into the back corner of a deep car trunk to grab a bag of groceries, which includes forward bending, twisting and a bit of side bending, and in real life we rarely do a single spinal movement at one time. But, in general, if there is a particular movement you shouldn't be doing on its own, you should not do it combined with other movements.

For now, I’d like to keep it simple and address each one of those basic spinal movements over the coming weeks. Today, let’s take a look at those who should avoid forward bending of the spine, as encountered in yoga poses where you bring the front of your torso toward your legs, such as Child’s pose (Balasana), Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana), Seated Straight Legged Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana), and many others. Forward bending of the spine includes bending from any point in your spine, from your neck all the way to the top of your pelvis. (You can also forward bend strictly from the hip joints, a movement I’m not addressing today.) 

So who needs to avoid the forward bending spinal movement?

Always Avoid For:

• Osteoporosis of the thoracic (rib cage area) spine 
• Herniated discs anywhere along the spine (most commonly at the cervical or neck area of the spine and the lumbar or lower back area of the spine)

Avoid if Pain is Acute or Symptoms Worsen For:

• Low back pain that is worsened by forward bending of the spine 
• Acute strain of the lower back if you notice pain with forward bending 
• A history of degenerative discs in the spaces between the lowest spinal bones, the vertebrae, if you notice pain with forward bending 
• Spinal stenosis, if you have been instructed by the doctor to minimize forward bends 
• 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy, if you notice pain with forward bending 
• Abdominal hernias or abdominal wall separation if increased bulging in those areas is created by forward bending 
• Hamstring tendonitis, if you notice any pain in your hamstring muscles created by this movement 

For those of you who cannot forward bend your spine, note that you can still practice certain “forward bend” poses by folding forward from your hip joints while keeping a neutral spine. For example, you could practice a seated forward behind with a straight back or a “half” version of Standing Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana) by coming forward with a straight back and placing your hands on high prop or on your legs. 

If any of you can think of other conditions that we should include on this list, please let us know!

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Simple, Quieting Practice

by Nina

I’ve designed this quieting sequence—which can be helpful if you are suffering from stress or anxiety, or just need to chill—to prepare you to practice supported seated forward bends. If done with the right amount of support, seated forward bends can be very quieting poses. However, unless you are naturally very flexible in your hamstrings (the backs of your thighs) and your back muscles, you do need to experiment a bit with different types of propping to find the type of support that will allow the poses feel nurturing and calming rather than uncomfortable and aggravating.

Basically there are two different ways to support yourself in a forward bend. The first way—which Baxter mentioned in his post Male Body Image and Yoga as a revelation to him—is to use a bolster or rolled blanket under your straight leg or legs. For example, here is Baxter in Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana):

See Getting Comfortable in Forward Bends for information about this type of support forward bends. In this version, you do round your back a bit. If rounding your back isn’t a good idea for you (due to back problems) or just doesn’t feel good to you, you can try supporting your hands and head on a chair the way I’m doing in this photo (a version that works really well for me):

See Soothing Yourself with Supported Forward Bends for information about this type of supported forward bends. In this version, you keep your spine straight, so you need to be sure the chair seat is high enough to support your head without rounding your spine (it might be necessary to put some folded blankets on top of the chair seat).

This sequence begins with leg stretches to open your hips and lengthen your hamstrings (the backs of your thighs). The Half Dog pose and Standing Forward bend also stretch your legs while at the same time lengthening your spine and opening your shoulders. The standing poses also open your hips, lengthen your hamstrings, lengthen your spine, and open your shoulders. But because these are more active, demanding poses, they can help you release physical stress from your body to prepare you for sitting quietly.

The Cobbler’s pose (Baddha Konasana) is a seated pose that will transition you from the active poses to quieter ones, while at the same time preparing your hips for the first seated forward bend.

After the two seated forward bends, practicing Child’s pose, either with or without support, will continue to quiet you, while at the same time releasing your lower back. If this pose doesn’t work for you, you can skip it.

Ending with Legs Up the Wall or Easy Inverted pose continues to quiet your nervous system while resting your lower back.

Quieting Sequence

1. Standing Leg Stretches (Padangusthasana), 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes per side. Follow the instructions here.

2. Downward-Facing Dog pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana) with Chair, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Follow the instructions here.

3. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) with Chair, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Depending on the length of your torso, you’ll need to stand some distance away from the front of your chair seat. As you come into the pose, focus on bending from your hip joints, not rounding your back. Keeping your back straight (step back if necessary), rest your head on your folded arms, tugging your forehead skin gently toward your nose. If the chair seat is not high enough for you, place folded blankets on the seat to raise it.

4. Warrior 2 pose (Virbradrasana), 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Follow the instructions here. For this practice, focus on moving slowly in and out of the pose to maintain quietness. 

5. Triangle Pose (Trikonasana), 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. As you come into the pose, focus on lifting up and over your hip joint as you keep lengthening your spine. Move slowly in and out of the pose to maintain quietness. Use enough support for your bottom hand to keep the pose comfortable.

6. Extended Side Angle Pose (Parsvakonasana), 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. After you bend your front knee, focus on lifting up and over your hip joint as you keep lengthening your spine to come into the pose. Move slowly in and out of the pose to maintain quietness. Use enough support for your bottom hand to keep the pose comfortable.

7. Downward-Facing Dog pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana), 30 seconds to 1 minute.  

8. Cobbler’s Pose (Baddha Konasana), 1.5 minutes. Sit on a support that is high enough so your knees are at the same level with or below your hips (version 1 or 2 in this video). Focus on lengthening your spine up as your relax your hip joints.

9. One-Legged Forward Bend (Janu Sirsasana) with Bolster or Chair, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Start by sitting on a support with two straight legs, then bend your right knee and let your right leg drop out to the side in a half Cobbler's pose. Place your bolster under your left leg or, if you're using the chair, have your left leg under the chair seat. Then, to come into the forward bend, focus on bending from your hip joints, not rounding your back. If you are doing the version with a support under your straight leg, you can allow you back to gently round once you are in the pose. If you are doing the version with a chair, keep your back straight. Rest your head on your folded arms, tugging your forehead skin gently toward your nose. If you are using the chair seat and it is not high enough for you, place folded blankets on the seat to raise it. We don't have photos of this pose, but picture the next pose with one bent leg and one straight leg.

10. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana) with Bolster or Chair, 3 minutes if possible. Start by sitting on a support. Then, place a bolster or rolled blankets under both legs or, if you are using th chair, lengthen both legs under the chair seat. As you come into the pose, focus on bending from your hip joints, not rounding your back. If you are doing the version with a support under your straight leg, you can allow you back to gently round once you are in the pose. If you are doing the version with a chair, keep your back straight. Rest your head on your folded arms, tugging your forehead skin gently toward your nose. If you are using the chair seat and it is not high enough for you, place folded blankets on the seat to raise it.

11. Child’s Pose (Balasana), with or without support, 1 to 3 minutes. For instructions on the supported version, see here. If you are doing the supported version, make sure to turn your head to the second side halfway through the pose. And if you have trouble deeply flexing your knees or flexing your ankles and feet, as an alternative to regular Childs pose, try flipping onto your back and hugging your legs gently to your chest. 

12. Legs Up the Wall pose (Viparita Karani) or Easy Inverted Pose, 5 to 15 minutes. For instructions Legs Up the Wall Pose and Easy Inverted Pose. If it is comfortable for you, support yourself on the bolster or blankets so that your lower back is curved again (letting your tailbone tip down off the support).

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Friday Q&A: Forward Bends and Osteoporosis

Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

One of our readers left the following comment on our post Featured Sequence: Mini Sun Salutation:

I am surprised you are including a deep forward bend. Research supports avoiding forward bends in osteoporosis and osteopenia and considering there are over 54 million people with osteoporosis and many don't know they are osteoporotic it seems safer not to teach forward bends for healthy aging. I think we have a higher percentage of yoga practitioners who fit the risk profile....slight, female, white, especially if they had a restricted diet in their younger years. 

This reader is concerned about practitioners who may have osteoporosis doing deep forward bends as we showed in our Mini Sun Salutation. And, indeed, for those with OP or even undiagnosed OP (they have it but don’t know it yet) forward folds hold the potential of increasing the risk of the most common fracture in those with OP: a wedge fracture of the thoracic spine. So, if you fall into this camp, I’d recommend modifying your standing forward bends by allowing your knees to bend as much as you need to help release your pelvis over the thigh bones as you bend, and maintain a more neutral alignment of your spine as you go down. That means avoiding rounding your upper back in the area of your thoracic spine.

I have a student in one of my class in her late 60s with recently diagnosed OP, and we discussed her modifying her forward bends in just this way for poses such as Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana) and Widespread Standing Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottansana), and she has been diligent about doing so.

Having said all that, I’d like you to keep in mind that our blog is not just for older adults who might have or be at risk for OP—or any condition for that matter. So, the Mini Sun Salutation post was really just an opportunity for us to share with you a basic common modern yoga practice that you can refer to as needed. We will try to add in a few more cautions to these sequences in the future, but you should always read our posts on yoga poses and sequences through the lens of your own personal situation, and take good care of yourself by making any modifications to the poses to better serve your needs. And if you are uncertain as to the safety or appropriateness of any YFHA recommendations, check things out with your local teachers. 

—Baxter

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Friday Q&A: Forward Bends and Safety

Q: Recently I was working with a personal trainer who has his masters in exercise science.  He said that the recent thinking on forward bends is that no one should do a full forward bend because it puts too much pressure on the low back.  Would you be willing to weigh in on this perspective?

A: So my interpretation of your question is: in general should we practice forward bends? The question depends on a lot of issues. It is true that in flexed positions (where the spine is in a forward bend) there is a significant increase in the pressure that is placed on the vertebral disc. When you bend forward, the anterior or front part of the intervertebral disc is compressed and, for a younger population, this will cause the soft squishy center portion (the nucleus propulsus) to be directed in a posterior or backwards position. Conversely, when you extend or back-bend your spine, the discal material is pushed anterior or forward and when you side bend or rotate the discal material is sent in the opposite direction of the action. The fact that the discal material is mobile is a good thing because it is a shock absorber and our spines are meant to move in multiple directions. In us older folks, however, the interdiscal material gets dehydrated and "desiccated," so it doesn't absorb force as well as in younger folks and it is significantly less mobile. Therefore, in older folks, the development of spinal arthritis is more common because the shock-absorbing qualities of the intervertebral discs are compromised.

Now the conundrum is: what happens when we go into a forward bend position, either from standing or sitting?

In standing when you bend forward to touch your toes, there are a lot of factors affecting the force onto the spinal discs. The vertebra are structured to move in a sequential fashion so if you start the forward bend by dropping your head to your chest and allow the thoracic spine to follow the motion down to the lumbar and then to the sacrum, each vertebral level is participating in this spinal flexion or forward bend. The problem is that if there isn't good spinal mobility, certain areas of the vertebra may move more than is good for them because other areas are stiffer so don't move as much. In this case, certain parts of the spinal vertebra are overworked and over time there will be degenerative changes in the spinal discs at these levels due to overwork and poor inter-segmental vertebral movement.

Also, the force exerted onto the spinal vertebra will be greater if you bend forward from standing compared to bending forward from a seated position. Couple the standing forward bend with tight hamstring muscles, then as soon as you bend forward your hamstrings will pull your pelvis in a posterior or backwards direction rounding your lumbar spine increasing stresses on the lumbar discs. But if you do my forward bend with bent knees to take my hamstrings out of the equation then you will be putting less stress on your lumbar spine, allowing it to follow with the levels above moving first translating lastly to the lumbar mobility.

If you bend forward from standing while keeping your lumbar spine in “neutral,” then you reverse your lumbar curve only at the end into full flexion, and this is a healthier way to forward bend. But to keep my lumbar spine in "neutral" takes both hamstring flexibility and awareness.

Now let’s move onto seated forward bends. A common beginner seated forward bend is the straight-legged forward bend, Paschimottanasana. If you sit without your pelvis raised on a support and have tight hamstrings, sitting with your legs extended will pull your pelvis posteriorly and you are already in a forward bend just by sitting there in our thoracic and lumbar vertebral regions! Then if you bend forward and use your arms to “pull” yourself into the pose and ignore your breath to release into the pose, then the chance of significant injury can occur because you are maxing out your safe and available forward bend! Instead, use props. Start by sitting on a lift, such as a folded blanket or bolster, to bring your lumbar spine back into its natural curve. Then add a second prop, such as rolled blanket or bolster, underneath your knees and bend your knees slightly over the prop to remove pull of the hamstrings. This way, you can learn to move from your hips as your forward bend safely and gently!

In general, I do not agree that we should not practice forward bends. The research your trainer alludes to isn’t, in fact, very recent.  What is new is that there is a way to learn how to do forward bends that can be safe for your back as well as quieting for your central nervous system. I don't believe nor teach to "never" but I do proceed with caution. Someone who has a hot herniated disc or is recovering from spinal surgery should not do forward bends in the acute phase or recent post-operative phase. And someone who has chronic pain from spinal surgery or adhesions from prior surgeries or is just plain stiff and in pain needs to learn how to move safely within his or her own parameters of mobility and with an easy breath. Finally, we need to respect poses that historically have caused us pain or injury in the past.

Forward bends done with care, attention to mobility deficits, and with awareness of your breath to allow the release into the pose can be wonderfully nourishing to your central nervous system. Learning to find that quiet place within a pose is part of the beneficial aspect of asana. Sometimes no matter how you modify a forward bend it isn't accessible, so in those cases taking a break from doing forward bends and revisiting them later is part of the process. Good luck in enjoying the benefits of forward bends!

—Shari

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Supported Forward Bends: Peaceful Poses for Stress, Anxiety, Neck Pain and Headache Prevention

by Nina

We finally took some new photographs, and now I’ve got a portfolio of my favorite poses for stress management and anxiety! So I thought that today I’d introduce you to some of favorite quieting poses: supported forward bends. A supported forward bend is one where you use a prop, such as a bolster, stack of blankets or a chair seat to support your head and arms as you stay in the pose. Relaxing onto the support helps remove straining from the pose and enhances the quieting quality of the forward bend. These are gentle, inward-turning poses that both calming and nurturing.

You can do supported forward bends in two forms: standing and seated. Standing supported forward bends are particularly good for stress as they are partial inversions. See Just in Time for the Holidays: Inverted Poses for information about why inverted poses, including partial inversions, are so beneficial for stress management.

Because the supported seated forward bends are less active than the standing versions, they are more quieting. And because you’re resting the weight of your head and relaxing your neck, these poses may also help with neck pain and headache prevention. I love supported seated forward bends, especially when I’m feeling anxious, however, some people do not enjoy supported seated forward bends, finding them rather too quieting, in other words, sort of deadening. And they’re probably not the right poses for people suffering from depression. So you’ll have to try for yourself and see what you think.

In general, when setting up for these poses, it’s important to be honest with yourself about how many props you need to be truly comfortable. The aim here isn’t to feel a stretch, much less any pain, but to use the pose to quiet yourself physically and emotionally.

As you come into the pose, bend from your hip joints and keep your back straight. This will help prevent back strain that comes from rounding your back. If you need to sit on a folded blanket to encourage the bend from your hips—most of us do—then add that prop as well (see photo).

When you bring your head onto the prop, do not force your head down. If your head doesn’t reach easily, you need a higher prop. For the Standing Forward Bend, you can stack two blocks, with one on the lowest height and the second on the highest. Stacking two blocks end on end, however, is unstable, so be honest with yourself and get your chair! (Besides, if you compare, most chair seats are lower than two blocks end on end, anyway—check it out and see.)

If you want to sequence these poses, I recommend starting with the standing versions first—they are better for warming up your legs and hips, and are more active—and then moving onto the seated ones. Of course, any of these can be done alone, or as part of any restorative or stress management sequence (we’ll have some of those coming in the near future). And there’s no reason at all why you can’t end an active practice with a supported seated forward bend of your choice, followed by Savasana.

1. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana), with your head on a block or chair
2. Widespread Standing Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana), with your head on the floor or on a block or chair
3. Wide Angle Pose (Upavista Konasana) or Seated Crossed Legs, with your head on a bolster or chair
4. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana), with your head on a bolster or chair

I hope these poses bring you peace.

Update: Wondering where those photos are? It turns out, they're not quite ready yet. We took them, but I don't have access to them this afternoon. I'll add them to this post as soon as I get them, so check back again.

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Many Right Ways To Do A Pose and a Few Wrong Ones

by Timothy

Branches and Roots by Brad Gibson

I got involved in a conversation the other day with Nina after class with our teacher Donald Moyer. Another student was wondering about the “correct” way to do forward bends. She’d just read an article in Yoga Journal by a highly respected teacher who said that the only correct way to do forward bends was with a concave lower back, that is, maintaining a normal inward curve of the lumbar spine. Although Donald sometimes prepares for forward bends like Uttanasana by doing the pose with a concave lower back, in the final pose, he suggests we allow a nice, even rounding of the spine, that is, completely reversing the lumbar curve.

Inherent in the student’s question is the notion that there is only one correct way, that everybody in all circumstances, should do any pose. The reality is that it always depends. What are you trying to achieve? What poses have preceded it and what do you plan to do after it in your practice? Are there contraindications you need to consider? Are there quirks in your anatomy or injuries you need to work around?

We could do this analysis for any pose but, since we’re on the topic, let’s stick with forward bends.

There are times when it is definitely not a good idea to fully round the spine. If you have a herniated lumbar disc, for example, rounding is generally contraindicated. When you round forward, the front surfaces of adjacent lumbar vertebrae come together which tends to push the disc material toward the back of the body, near where nerves exit the spine. This rounding the lower back could lead to nerve compression and sciatic pain.

For a similar reason, rounding the back in forward bends is generally not recommended for those with osteoporosis. Compression fractures of the spine happen when the front surface of one vertebra collapses under pressure from a neighbor. But forward bends done with a concave lower back can actually be therapeutic for those with thinning bones, and were part of the routine Dr. Loren Fishman used in his ground-breaking research (still ongoing for those interested in enrolling in the study) that is documenting yoga’s powerful ability to increase bone mineral density.

For those who lack such contraindications, rounding the spine the way Donald teaches may lead to deeper relaxation and more quieting of the nervous system. When looking at students from an Ayurvedic standpoint, long holds of rounded forward bends can be deeply calming to the vata dosha (the imbalance often tied to stress and over-activity). Long holds of such forward bends are part of yin yoga, and can be a wonderful way to open tight hips, for example, to prepare the body to sit comfortably for long periods of time in mediation.

So my way of thinking is that there is more than one correct way to do forward bends, all depending on the overall situation and what you are trying to accomplish. But that said, there are also certainly wrong ways to do poses. In my mind, any way of doing a pose that unduly increases the risk of injury, or which puts the joints or other bodily tissues in compromised positions is wrong. In forward bends, one common incorrect method is to bend from the waist rather than hinging from the hips. Although not all yoga teachers would agree, I also advise against any knee locking in the poses.

Of course, this just begins to describe all the thinking on forward bends found among different yoga teachers. Some people sit up on folded blankets or other props, which allows them to get more forward tipping of the pelvis, but not everyone needs to do this. Some people hold their toes, some hold a strap looped around the soles of their feet, and some place their hands alongside their legs. Ultimately, good teachers learn to look at students, ask them questions and determine a reasonable approach.

To me the final arbiter of whether a yoga technique is right or wrong is the breath. If you’re able to do the pose and the breath can remain smooth, deep and even, more than likely you're doing it a right way (though probably not the right way).

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Friday Q&A: Which Forward Bends Are Safe?

Q: Nina's post earlier this week on how to get comfortable in forward bends was very informative (see Getting Comfortable in Forward Bends). But I was wondering whether both versions shown in the photos--the one with the rounded back and the one with the neutral spine--are safe for everyone.

A: Forward bends always need to be approached with awareness, caution and respect, especially for people with acute low back injuries or chronic low back conditions. People with herniated discs, facet irritation, or degenerative joint conditions in their spines may find that too much bending forward will increase their pain.

Several leg muscles attach to your pelvis and tight leg muscles can restrict the movement of your pelvis, which needs to be able to roll over the top of your hip joints. If your leg muscles are tight, sometimes sitting on a folded blanket can allow you to get the proper movement of your pelvis. However, if you have very tight hamstrings and don't have the ability to keep the natural curve in your low back as you bend forward, then the version with the bolster under your thighs may still be problematic.

Rounded Back Version: Could Be Problematic

In addition, there are some people with conditions for which forward bends are contraindicated, meaning that the risk is greater than the benefit. This includes individuals with severe osteoporosis as well as individuals who may have had vertebral compression fractures in the past. For them the neutral spine version with the chair or bench may be safe, but, again, be sure to  proceed with caution.

Neutral Spine Version: Proceed With Caution

In general, cultivating flexibility in your hip rotators and hamstrings can help you achieve a neutral spine in your forward bends, which will help keep your lower back safe.

—Shari

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Getting Comfortable in Forward Bends

by Nina

I have always known that seated forward bends are considered quieting poses, but it wasn't until I interviewed Shari (see Talking About Baroreceptors and Yoga) about baroreceptors that I discovered that forward bends are quieting for the same reason that inverted poses are calming: pressure on the baroreceptors causes your body to lower your blood pressure and reduce your stress hormones. No wonder three minutes in a forward bend seems to turn off the noise in my head and put me in a relaxed, almost dreamy state. But this got me curious because you're not exactly upside down in a forward bend, so I asked Baxter if he knew why forward bends had the same effect as inversions (I'm like that about yoga, I always want to know why!). Here's what he said:

Regarding the beneficial effect of seated forward folds on lowering blood pressure, I would hypothesize that the fold brings enough pressure onto the abdominal area to place pressure on the main blood vessel in the belly, the abdominal aorta. If this caused a temporary narrowing in the vessel, this could create a back pressure up to the baroreceptors in the neck and aortic arch. This would have the same effect as inversions.

By now you may be reading this and thinking, "That's fine for you to say, but I hate forward bends.  Just the thought of doing them makes me feel cranky, not relaxed." Yes, I realize that I'm one of the lucky few who is flexible enough to be comfortable in forward bends. And I do know that a large number of people, especially those with tight hamstrings, are, shall we say, quite the opposite of comfortable in forward bends. For those people, discomfort in the pose pretty much negates the soothing effects because being physically uncomfortable tends to irritate the nervous system.

But does that mean you have to miss out entirely on the blissful feeling I've just described? Definitely not! Because in today's post I'm going to present two different ways to prop your forward bends to take remove the yuck and bring on the bliss.

The first way is to place a round bolster or a very thick blanket roll behind the thigh of your straight leg or behind both legs if you are doing Paschimottanasana (as shown in the photo below). With the bolster behind your thigh, you knee or knees will be bent and supported.

Bend from your hips to come into the forward bend and then slowly round your back into a gentle curve. Baxter is someone who has very tight hamstrings and normally doesn't enjoy forward bends, but just look how comfy he looks in these photographs!

Stay in the pose at least three minutes (I've found it takes that long for the pose to work its magic). Whhen you are ready to come out of the pose, come out very slowly, rolling up to an upright position.

And if that propping doesn't work for you, I've got another trick up my sleeve. In the second version of a supported forward bend, you use a bench or chair on which to rest your arms and head. Position the chair over your straight leg (or legs), far enough away so you can keep your spine long and straight when you come into the forward bend. If the bench or chair isn't high enough for you to easily reach, add folded blankets or towels to increase the height. To come into the pose, bend from your hip joints, keeping your spine straight and long (in this version you do not round your back). Place your folded arms on the chair or bench, and rest your head on your hands. If possible, catch your forehead skin on your hands and tug it gently down toward your eyebrows.

Again, stay in the pose at least three minutes. When you are ready to come out of the pose, come out very slowly, using your hands to press yourself into an upright position.

I often teach this second version of the pose, and I'm always so pleased to see almost everyone in the class come out of the pose with a calm, relaxed expression on their faces! I'd love to hear how it feels to you!

For cautions for these forward bends (and forward bends in general), see Which Forward Bends Are Safe?

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