Paschimottanasana: Seated Forward Bend

Pronunciation: POSH-ee-mow-than-AWS-ahna

Translation: Pashima in the Sanskrit word means “west.” The word uttana translates to “intense stretch.” The yogis in early times supposedly would bow down to the sun rising in the east. They were aligned on an east-west axis facing the sun in this pose,.  Thus this is the Intense West Stretch.

It is a seated forward bend, and can help a person go within, in a way that restores the body and mind. It is not important how deep physically you go into the pose but rather how much you can surrender in the pose. The pose is a release to gravity, and a releaseof yourself to yourself.

Technique: Start the pose from Dandasana, the Staff Pose.  Dandasana is the pose where one sits with an extended spine with the torso perpendicular to the floor and the legs together extended straight in front.

In Dandasana the pelvis should be perpendicular to the floor with the side hip bones aligned over your sit bones.  If your leg stretch is not yet adequate to sit with a perpendicular pelvis then use blocks or another prop such as one or more folded blankets to provide enough height to sit with the side hip bones far enough forward so that they align with the sit bones and the pelvis is perpendicular to the floor.

Sit with the back pelvic rim moving forward enough to have a “normal” concave lower spine.  A few people with a very mobile lower back can move their back pelvic rim so far forward that they over-arch their lower back.  Those people should be careful to avoid this over-arching.

Reach back with each hand and move your buttock flesh backwards and out to the sides. This adjusts the angle of your pelvis. Place your palms on the floor next to the hips with your fingers facing toward the feet. Press down through your hands and give your spine more length.  With an erect spine, lift up through the top of your head. Open your chest and widen your shoulders. Lift the sternum and bring it forward. Keep your abdomen relaxed and open. Get as much length as you can between the pelvis and ribs by extending the spine upwards.  You are now doing Dandasana.

Now you are ready to move into the Paschimottanasana forward bend. 

The stretch in Paschimottanasana occurs primarily in the legs. Throughout the pose the spine stays extended.  Do not round the spine to bring the head to the legs. Rather, move the sternum forward in the pose as the top of the head stretches towards the top feet.  The extended torso eventually descends until it is in contact with the actively extended legs.  It is sometimes said that once one has enough leg stretch they can move to a full forward bend while keeping a slight backward arch in the spine.

Take a deep inhalation and on the exhalation extend forward moving from the hip joints. The front hip bones descend towards the upper thighs.  Don’t bend over from the waist. Reach for the outside of the feet and grasp them. Pull yourself forward while lowering the front hip bones towards your legs..

If you cannot yet reach your feet with your hands, loop a belt around the souls of the feet and hold onto the belt as close to your feet as possible.

For some there will be a tendency to collapse the inner ankles while over stretching the outer ankles.  Avoid this by keeping the soles of the feet parallel.  If you bring the inside of the foot forward, extending from the balls of the big toes and the inner heels it will help create the proper movement deep in the leg sockets.

As you extend the spine over the legs and descend the torso keep your lower back concave.  Do not cheat on yourself and bring your head to your legs by rounding and compressing the lower back. When you are deep in the pose, it will round slightly.

As you work correctly in the pose you get the feeling of your pelvis rotating forward instead of bending over your lower back. Remember to extend through both feet keeping the inner feet extended evenly with your outer feet. Press your thighs down to the floor.

Stay in the pose anywhere from one to three minutes. For optimal benefit you should work over time to extend your stay in the pose.  Eventually you be able to hold Paschimottanasana for ten minutes.  At the completion of holding the pose, rise up from your hip joints with a straight spine. Push yourself up from the floor with your hands if you like.

Beginner’s Tips: The classical pose is done with your legs together.  An alternative, if your hamstrings are tight, is to keep your legs about hip width apart for a while.

Another option is to use a bolster resting on your legs under your torso. Do the pose for longer than you otherwise would in this supported fashion. It is a great posture to restore your energy when fatigued. The pose is good during menstruation and pregnancy. If pregnant, place the bolster under your chest not your belly and also widen your legs a bit as to make room for your expanding belly.

Benefits: Stretches the hamstrings, back, shoulders and spine.
Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
Stretches the spine, shoulders, hamstrings
Beneficial for the kidneys, liver, ovaries and uterus.
Improves digestion
Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause and menstrual discomfort
Good for pregnancy (see Beginner’s Tips above)
Beneficial for diabetics
Relieves headaches and anxiety, and makes one more energetic when tired
Therapeutic for high blood pressure, infertility, insomnia, and sinusitis

Contraindications and Cautions: YDon't do this if you have back problems, asthma or diarrhea.
If you have a back injury or current problems, do the pose with guidance of an experienced yoga teacher.

Keep your lumbar disks safe by being careful not to bend forward with a rounded low back.   Be sure to keep your low back concave (but not deeper than is normal for a healthy standing spine) and your sternum lifting upward while your spine is extended as fully as possible.

Thanks to Victor Oppenheimer for his editing help on this article.

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