Uttanasana - Forward Bending Pose to Calm your Mind

In my experience I have seen that most people who do not practice yoga are aware about their inflexible muscles. They are familiar that it is not that easy to even touch the toe. In fact I have seen most people when trying to touch the ground are just able to take the finger tips till the calf level. Are you in this group of people? If the answer is yes, Uttanasana is the pose you should practice.

Uttanasana is one of the forward bending poses practiced in standing position. In this pose the body bends forward from the hips and the purpose is to touch the knee with the head. But, that is not that easy and you should try to stretch as much is comfortable to you.

In theory steps for practice of this posture are not complicated. What is required is constant practice. Even after a short practice of a week also you can observe great improvement in your flexibility.

Steps to Practice Uttanasana

1. Stand straight with feet joint together.
2. Inhale deeply and raise the hands above the head parallel to each other.
3. With exhalation, slowly bend forward till you reach your limit of stretching. Try to touch the head on the knee and if that is not possible then take the head towards the knee. Hold the back of the legs with the hand. Continue normal breathing.
4. When you practice initially you will find that you can hardly stretch yourself. But the secret is to stay longer in this pose. After few breaths, tighten your hamstring and stretch a little forward.
5. You will notice that this way you can stretch forward more. Stay in a position for few breaths and then again stretch.
6. After 30 seconds inhale and come back to original position.

Tip
If you practice this pose after practicing few other standing poses, you will find it is easier to practice this pose.

Benefits

1. It calms down the nerves of the head region and there is increase in blood flow to the region. In Light on Yoga, it is mentioned that if practiced for more than two minutes it helps fight depression and reduces stress.
2. Because of increased blood flow in the neck and head region, the muscles, tissues and nerves of the region get sufficient oxygen and it helps facial skin, hair, and improve eyesight and hearing.
3. The posture provides a complete stretch to the legs and the entire back and provide flexibility to the muscles.
4. It rejuvenates the spinal nerves and the nervous system in general.
5. Since the abdomen is pressed it helps tones the organs of the stomach including kidneys, liver, and spleen. Because of this it is a great pose to improve digestion and get rid of many problems like constipation and IBS.

Warning
If you have lower back pain then do not practice this pose.