Standing Forward Bend

Standing Forward Bend Pose

by Steve Johansen, Hummingbird Pilates and Yoga

 

In all the years that I've been teaching yoga the most common excuse that people give for not giving it a go is their belief that they aren’t flexible enough! I often hear, “I can't even touch my toes”, followed by bending forward to show their lack of flexibility, as their hands reach their knees. However, Standing Forward Bend Pose, isn’t about being able to touch your toes or even your knees.

Uttanasana, pronounced as (OOT-tan-AHS-ah-nah), is comprised of 3 words, and each Sanskrit word can have several meanings. Ut meaning intense, powerful, or deliberate. Tan meaning to stretch, extend, or lengthen. Asana meaning pose or posture.  Arguably the true translation should be “standing intense stretch pose.” However, I don’t feel that this truly describes the ethos of the pose and this is why I often use the Sanskrit words, as well as the English translations during my teaching, in order to impart a truer meaning of yoga and the poses. 

 

For me forward bends, whether they be standing or seated, are not about being able to touch your toes, there all about a full, back of the body stretch (from the soles of the feet to the top of the head). To find this intense stretch, I nearly always include Urdhva Uttanasana. Urdhva meaning Half so Half Standing Forward Bend, sometimes called Deep Forward Bend, to create the length and strength, through the front of my body to target and stretch the back of my body, especially the hamstrings.

 

Where to start

Start in Mountain Pose, grounding yourself through the feet, hip width apart, with your toes pointing straight forwards. Make sure your weight is evenly distributed over the four corners of your feet. Soften the knees, keeping them hip width apart, roll the pelvis slightly, so the tail bone points downwards to the heels, helping you to stand taller. You should feel the fronts of the thighs tighten, along with your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles or Mula Bandha. Try to lift evenly from the sides of your chest, roll your shoulder blades backwards and towards each other, rotate the palms to face forwards, stretching the fingertips down. This will help open the collarbones, relax your shoulders, and deepen your breath. Find your Dristi, an unfocused gaze, on a point at eye height.

Take a moment to feel strong here.

 

On your next inhalation sweep the arms upwards, to upward salute. On your exhalation, keeping a flat back and a strong core, bend the knees as you fold from the hips, bringing the fingertips to the floor either side of your feet in line with your toes. Allow your abdomen to rest on your thighs, and the crown of your head to hang downwards, lengthening the spine. Keep your abdomen on your thighs, as you draw your kneecaps and quadriceps upwards. Start to straighten your legs, until you feel your hamstrings and glutes beginning to stretch. You might not be able to completely straighten your legs, depending on your hamstring length.

 

On your next inhalation, lift into Half Standing Forward Bend, by drawing your sternum and gaze forward, engaging your abdominal muscles. Roll your shoulder blades backwards and towards each other, this will create the length and strength through the front of your body. Keep this feeling as you draw the kneecaps up and engaged the front of your thighs, straightening your legs, you’ll begin to feel the stretch through the back of your body, glutes and especially the hamstrings.

 

To develop the length and flexibility of the hamstrings and to intensify the stretch throughout the back of your body, I recommend practising transitioning from Standing Forward Bend into Half Standing Forward Bend for a minimum of 3 or 5 repetitions. Making sure to move in time with your breath, whilst keeping your core strong and your back flat, shoulders drawn back and legs straight. On each out-breath, fold forward from the hips, into Standing Forward Bend, and on your in-breath lift into Half Standing Forward Bend.

 

For those of you who would benefit from seeing both versions of Standing Forward Bend Pose taught in action, you can find a video on our at Hummingbird Pilates & Yoga Facebook page both pinned to the top and as one of our reels. Alternatively, book now and join me at the studio using this free pass code HPYFREECLASS