Paschimottanasana | Back Stretching Pose | Yoga For Beginners

Paschimottana heart ailment; 1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you. Flex your feet to keep the legs active. If needed, pull the flesh from under you sitting bones. 2. Inhale, and keeping the front torso long, lean forward from the hip joints, not the waist. Lengthen the tailbone away from the back of your pelvis. If possible take the sides of the feet with your hands, thumbs on the soles, or reach for your ankles or shins, elbows fully extended. Bend your knees if needed to take the stretch in the hamstrings rather than your back. 3.With each inhalation, lift and lengthen the front torso just slightly; with each exhalation release a little more fully into the forward bend. In this way the torso oscillates and lengthens almost imperceptibly with the breath. Eventually you may be able to stretch the arms out beyond the feet on the floor or straighten the legs. 5.Stay in the pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. To come up, first lift the torso away from the thighs and straighten the elbows again if they are bent. Then inhale and lift the torso up by pulling the tailbone down and into the pelvis. Paschimottanasana is one of the most basic poses in Hatha Yoga and can be one of the most relaxing if done properly. When first coming into the pose it is always best to start this pose with your knees bent no matter what level you are at in your practice. Beginners should sit up on a folded blanket in this pose, and most beginners need to hold a strap around the feet. Extremely stiff students can place a rolled up blanket under their knees.