A continuing series offering yoga postures for men, women, and children to practice at home, school, on the road or in the office. With special thanks to Ross Pottinger of Wink Photo Design in Brisbane, Australia for the photos and the support in this project. And many thanks to Louisa Dick for inspiring and taking part in the project. If you have a posture that you would like to see in this column, I welcome your suggestions. Namaste, H!

Uttanasana – Forward Fold

A simple posture that lengthens back of thigh, gluteals and spine. While using a deep belly breath in this pose, you massage your internal organs and relieve tension from the abdomen and diaphragm. Promotes relaxation, surrender, and release of upper back and neck tension.

Before you begin: It is important to be warm and loose before you practice this or any yoga postures. Walk, jog, cycle, climb stairs, or perform a minimum of 3 sun salutations before attempting this posture. As always, it is important to see your health care practitioner before initiating a new exercise program.

The Pose: Stand with your feet together and parallel, toes spread, palms on your thighs. Inhale and lift your ribcage, then exhale and fold forward, hinging at your hips, with your back flat and eyes forward. Rest with your hands on your thighs and inhale looking forward. As you exhale, slowly continue to stretch forward and down, lengthening your spine. Once you feel your lower back begin to round, you may soften your knees. Hold the posture at the place where you feel that the back of your thigh is stretching, but there is no strain in your lower back. You may place your hands on your shins, the ground, or for more intensity hold your heels and gently draw your forehead to your shins. Extend hips to the sky until legs are straight, shoulders are lifting away from the ground, and forehead in close to shins. If you feel any strain in your lower back, bend your knees gently.

Focus on: Lifting your tailbone up, rotating your upper thighs inward, while pressing your belly onto your thighs to maintain a flat back. To relax your neck, nod your head ‘yes’ and shake your head ‘no’ a few times, then totally relax the back of your neck. Continue to breath deeply and maintain for 30-60 seconds

Variations

Spread leg forward fold-stand with legs 3 feet apart and follow the same method as spread leg forward fold.

To stretch the shoulders, clasp your hands behind your back, or place your hands in reverse prayer position behind your heart.

For a more gentle, supported stretch, place your hands hip width apart on a wall and slowly reach back through your hips as you sink your chest towards the ground. This is a great stretch for gardeners to reduce post-gardening low back pain.