Prasarita Padottanasana  
  • Beginner's Tip:
    • Most beginning students aren't able to easily touch the crown of their head to the floor in the last stage of this forward bend. Instead you can support your head on a padded block, a thickly folded blanket, or a bolster.
  • Modifications and props:
    • Some beginners aren't able to easily bring their hands to the floor and need a good deal of support in this forward bend to protect their lower back. Try raising your hands off the floor by resting each on the end of a block. If your back is still rounded, then use a folding chair to support your forearms. Always Remember in forward bends to emphasize the length of the front torso.
  • Deepen the pose:
    • Advanced students can get a better sense of how to work the arms in this pose by using a block. Set a block on one of its sides, with its long axis parallel to the long edge of your sticky mat, on the floor in front of you. Lean forward into the pose and grip the block between your forearms, just below the elbows, and pick it up off the floor. Then complete the pose with your palms and crown on the floor. Now squeeze the block firmly between your forearms, pressing your inner hands actively into the floor. This action of the arms will also get you ready for poses like Headstand variations and Pincha Mayurasana (Peacock Pose).
  • Info
    • prasarita = stretched out, expanded, spread, with outstretched limbs pada = foot ut = intense tan = to stretch or extend (compare the Latin verb tendere, "to stretch or extend").
  • Benefits:
    • Strengthens and stretches the inner and back legs and the spine .
    • Tones the abdominal organs .
    • Calms the brain
    • Relieves mild backache .
  • Therapeutic Applications:
    • Headache.
    • Fatigue.
    • Mild depression .
  • Contraindications and Cautions:
    • Lower-back problems: Avoid the full forward bend
                   
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