oo-pah-VISH-tah koh-NAHS-ah-nah
A deep seated forward fold that targets the inner thighs (adductors) and hamstrings while lengthening the spine. It promotes a sense of grounding and introspection, calming the nervous system.
Sit with legs wide apart, feet flexed.
Hinge forward from the hips, keeping your spine long.
Reach hands forward or to your feet.
Root down firmly through both sitting bones.
Keep legs active, pressing outer thighs down and engaging quadriceps.
Lead with the heart, maintaining length in the spine; avoid rounding the upper back.
Gently rotate the inner thighs toward the floor.
Draw shoulders away from ears.
Deeply stretches the inner thighs, hamstrings, and groins.
Lengthens the spine and can help with sciatica.
Stimulates abdominal organs and aids digestion.
Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression.
Encourages introspection and mental quietude.
Place a bolster on the floor in front of you to rest your torso and head on, making the forward fold more restorative.
Sit on a folded blanket to elevate the hips, promoting an anterior pelvic tilt and easier forward folding without rounding the back.
Loop a strap around the soles of your feet if your hands cannot comfortably reach your feet while maintaining a long spine.
Stand behind the student. Place hands on the outer hips and gently draw them back, encouraging the sitting bones to root and the hips to hinge deeper.
Ensure the student's knees are not locked; avoid any sharp pain in the inner thighs.
Place one hand on the sacrum and the other on the upper back, encouraging length through the spine as the student folds forward.
Emphasize length over depth; do not force the head to the floor.
Push your chest down.
Allow the sternum to gravitate toward the earth, initiating the fold from the deep creases of the hips.