Open wide into spread legs intense stretch to increase your flexibility.
What does Prasarita Padottansana means?
prasarita = outstretched limbs
pada = foot
ut = intense
tan = to stretch
asana = pose
The four variations of Prasarita Padottanasana
A: place palms between feed
B: place hands on hip
C: interlace fingers behind the back
D: grab the big toes
How to get into Prasarita Padottansana?
- Standing in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), facing the broader part of the mat. Keep the feet apart at around three times the hip width, and make sure they are parallel.
- Inhale. Place your palms on your hip.
- Exhale. Fold from the hips without bending the knees, lengthen the spine and bring the palm on the floor between the feet to Prasarita Padottansana A.
- Stay for five breath. Focusing on lower the crown of the head on the floor (between your legs) without rounding the spine
- Inhale. Continue to strengthen the spine and come up halfway lift and place your hands at the hip
- Exhale. Fold forward while keeping the palms on the hip, lengthen the spine and depress the shoulder to Prasarita Padottansana B
- Stay for five breath
- Inhale, lengthen the spine with the palms on the hip and come up
- Exhale, interlace fingers behind the back and fold forward. Bring the hands to the floor without bending the knees, lengthen the spine and depress shoulder to Prasarita Padottansana C
- Stay for five breath
- Inhale, place the hands on the hip and come up with control
- Exhale, fold forward by grabbing the big toes with the first three fingers to Prasarita Padottansana D
- Stay for five breaths
- Inhale, continue to lengthen the spine and place the hands on the hip to come up
Important to note
- Gaze at nose tip
- Exhale when fold forward, stay for five breaths
- Lengthen your spine, don’t round your back
Preparation poses fo Prasarita Padottansana
Active pelvis and legs muscles
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward-facing dog)
- Uttanasana (intense forward bend)
Counter poses
Return your spine back to the neutral state
- Utkatasana (chair pose)
- Ustrasana (Camel)
Contraindications and Cautions
- Lower-back problems: Avoid the full forward bend
- Modifications and Props
Beginner-friendly version
- Place 2 blocks on the floor, resting each of your palms on the end of a block instead of the floor
- If your back is still rounded, use a folding chair to support your forearms
Key Muscle for this pose
- Hips are bent by the engaging psoas, pectineus and rectus femoris at the front of the thigh
- Knees are straightened by the quadriceps muscles
- Feet and ankles are grounded by activating the tibialis anterior and posterior muscles as well as the muscles at bottom of the feet
- Trunk bent forward by the rectus abdominus muscles
- The lower section of the trapezius draws the shoulders away from the ears
- Shoulders and the upper arm muscles are lifted by the deltoids. While the elbows are bent by the upper arm muscles, biceps and brachialis.
- The wrist and finger flexor muscle press the hands into the floor in order to stabilize the pose
Benefits:
Physical
- Creates lengths in the spine
- Stretches lower backs of the legs and lower back – relieve pain
- Strengthens feet
- Provides rests to the heart
- Help to turn inward
- Feel heal and expand, especially after cycling, walking and running
- Reducing headache and uplifting insomnia
- Can do this pose directly in the morning (before eating anything)
Mental
- Relieve of stress, anxiety and depressions
- Uplifted the mood
Spiritual
- This leads to Sattva, a state of balance and harmony
- Activate the Crown chakra when placing the head on the floor
- Grounding negative and unwanted thoughts
