06 Standing Forward Fold or Uttanasana.doc

8/13/2019 06 Standing Forward Fold or Uttanasana.doc

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Standing Forward Fold or Uttanasana

Uttanasana has two lines of energy radiating outward from your center. Your hips will

be in dog tilt, and the spinal column will be your primary line of energy. The idea is to

elongate the spine outward through the crown of your head as you fold into the pose.

This is a basic forward fold. Everything you learn here will be applicable to all forward

folds.

DANGLINGUTTANASANA

1. Stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) with our !eet hi"#width a"art. Look down at

your feet and check that they are parallel with one another, that the inner edge of each

foot is pointing straight ahead, and that your toes are spread. Snuggle your feet into the

floor. ait until you are ready, then breathe in deeply.

$. As ou e%hale& slide our hands down our legs and !old !orward !ro' our hi"s.!o slowly. "lasp hold of your elbows and let your head and arms dangle, or clasp you

hands around your legs and let your arms slide down the back of your legs.

. ela%. #o nothing. Simply become thoroughly limp. Let go inside and surrender to

the pose.

*. The idea here is to let go of all effort, all resistance to being in the pose, and simply to

be thoroughly rela$ed. Scan your body at a leisurely pace and mentally encourage your

cells, nerves, muscles, and skin, everything, to rela$ and soften. %elease every sense of

holding on. %ela$ your belly, buttocks, back, shoulders, face. &llow your neck to soften,

your head to dangle, and your arms to be limp. Especially elongate your core. 'angfrom your hips. #angle. Let go, fall. Let go everywhere. Practiceletting go. The more

you let go and release tension, the better you(ll get at it. %ela$ in this bent)over position.

"onsciously, deliberately surrender.

+. Especially feel where your spine is, your core, from coccy$ to fontanel, and allow the

spaces between vertebrae to e$pand. You(ll feel your spine elongate as you core

clarifies. #o this by letting go, releasing. You(re letting go of tension, contracted

energy, pain.

,. *rchestrate softness with a soft breath. +reathe smoothly in a rela$ed, strain free

manner.

-. f dangling from your hips is too intense, then either bend your knees or place your

hands on your shins and brace yourself further up. +ending your legs will reduce the

strain considerably, and bracing yourself with your arms will prevent you from folding

too far. Stay within your comfort -one. ind a place in which you can rela$. +e farther

up if necessary.

. "ontinue letting go, over and over. Letting go is not something you do /ust once. &s

you rela$ inside and release every sense of tension, your muscles will become less hard,

less contracted. !radually they will soften, lengthen, and you(ll find yourself folding

deeper into the pose, effortlessly. rom there, let go more. "ontinue letting go, and seewhat happens. herever the stretch is, be there mentally. Soothe any part of your body


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that is resisting the stretch, holding on due to fear, or unnecessarily tense and clenched.

"oa$ all of yourself to soften and rela$. You(ll find yourself going deeper when your

body is ready for a deeper stretch, not before. You have no say in the matter. This is

what makes this techni0ue so safe.

/. The only 1control2 is to stay in the pose long enough for a change to occur.Everything else is a let)go and surrender. Stay here as long as five minutes, but do not

force yourself to stay longer than feels right. "ome out of the pose when you have had

enough. Later, it may feel appropriate to challenge your endurance edge by willingly

staying in the pose even if you are e$periencing some degree of discomfort. This will be

voluntary, however, and it will not feel as though you are attacking yourself. t will be

attractive and pleasurable.

10. *ccasionally, vary the distance between your feet. t is often easier to rela$ when

your feet are farther apart.

11. To o'e out o! the "ose& 2end our 3nees and slowl o'e down into a s4uatting"osition. +e here several breaths, then stand erect in Tadasana, 3ountain 4ose.

1$. "lose your eyes and practice standing perfectly still. #o not move a muscle. #on(t

even think. +ut don(t holdyourself still, either. %ela$ yourself still. +e as rela$ed as

you can possibly be, and simply be aware of how you feel. mmerse your awareness in

the natural rhythm of your breathing and e$perience your own uni0ue feeling)tone.

En/oy this part.

UTTANASANAINSI5STAG6S

5. Stand in Tadasana with our !eet hi"#width a"art. Look down and check that the

inner edge of each foot is pointing straight ahead so your feet are parallel to one

another. Spread your toes, lift your kneecaps, and stand tall by lifting upward

through your spine, chest, and head.

6. +reathe smoothly, making an even, pleasant sound in your throat as you wait for the

inner cue to begin. hen you are ready, breathe in deeply.

ST&!E*7E

8. As ou e%hale& hinge !orward !ro' our hi"s and "lae our hands either onour thighs 7ust a2o8e the 3nees or at the to" o! our shin2ones 7ust 2elow the

3nees 9photo 55:. The idea here is to flatten your back and elongate your spine.

;. Turn your hips towards dog tilt and feel where your three lines of energy are< one

down the legs, one through the arms, and one outward 9and eventually downward:

through the spine.

=. "larify the leg line. irst snuggle your feet into the floor and feel your connection

with the earth. 3ake sure you are grounded. Then pull the kneecaps up by

tightening the 0uadriceps 9thigh muscles:, press both feet into the floor, and turn the

sitting bones upward. %oll the thighs inward as you do this, spreading the buttocksapart, and make sure your weight is coming down through the center of each foot>


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not too far forward or backward, nor toward the inner or outer edge of either foot.

These actions will establish and increase the dog tilt.

?. "larify the arm line. 4ress your arms straight, making them long, and lift upward

with the back of your head and neck. #o not lean into your hands or sag into your

shoulders. Lengthen your arms, lift up, and stay lifted. &s you do this there will besome weight on your hands in the form of palm pressure, but minimi-e it.

@. Elongate your spine hori-ontally forward. 4ress backward through the buttocks, and

stretch forward through the crown of your head. #o not shorten the back of your

neck by lifting your head and looking forward. Softly tuck your chin without

tightening the throat, roll the back of your head forward, and shrug the shoulders

away from your ears so the shoulder blades slide down your back. You will feel like

a turtle sticking its head out of its shell. !a-e at the floor. This is Stage *ne.

A. The forward fold is initiated by turning the hips into dog tilt. This segments the body

in two opposite directions from your center. The key to folding deeper in this pose,as in all forward folds, is to increase the pelvic rotation toward dog tilt, so you hinge

from the hip /oints, and to lift the rib cage away from the waist as you stretch forward

through the crown of your head. &s you direct the stretch outward, your spine will

form an indented groove down your back. "heck with your fingers to make sure

there are no protruding vertebrae.

B. Your breathing, remember, is the most important aspect of yoga techni0ue. t is the

life of the pose. Therefore, savor the air as it flows in and out and listen to the sound

you are making. +reathe smoothly, generate the perfect degree of current through

your lines, and wait for the initial sensations of stretch to diminish before folding

deeper.

STAG6T9:

5C. Slide our hands to our an3les. hen the initial sensations of stretch diminish in

Stage *ne and you notice your elbows wanting to bend, slide your hands farther

down the legs.

55. old deeper into the pose slowly, with care, breath by breath. Elongate the spine

hori-ontally forward as you in hale and fold deeper as you e$hale. Deep your arms

and legs straight.

56. hen you reach your ankles, check the alignment of your lines once again< 4ress

your feet into the floor and turn the sitting bones up, bringing in our lower back

down press your arms straight, making them as long as you can, and lift upward with

the back of your head and neck so you(re not sagging into the shoulders then press

backward through the sitting bones andforwardthrough the crown of your head,

shrugging the shoulders away from the ears. These three lines work together

beautifully.

58. The better your spinal e$tension now, the deeper your stretch later. "reate the degree

of stretch that feels perfect>not too much, not too little. +reathe deeply, keeping it


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smooth. ait for the sensations of stretch to diminish somewhat at this edge before

proceeding further.

STAG6T;66

5;.


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STAG6SI5

65. Slowl straighten our legs. #o this in two parts. irst, keeping the arm line active

and your hands heavy and, keeping the chest and thighs pressed together, slowly

allow your hips to rise toward the ceiling. Let them float upward all by themselves>

no effort or doing on your part. Then, gently press both feet into the floor anddelicately try to straighten the legs>allowing the chest and thighs to separate, if

necessary. Your hips will more upward as your feet press downward. Stretch the

sitting bones toward the ceiling. This can be intense, so proceed slowly, with

sensitivity. 3ove your head inward toward your legs as you straighten them, and

continue s0uee-ing your hands down.

66. Eventually, at this point, your chest will be in firm contact with your thighs, your legs

will be straight, and your hands will be touching the floor behind you. +e here

several breaths working the arm line outward and down.

Note? These si$ stages are not easy. They may take years to master. +e patient,

therefore, but persistent. #o what you comfortably can no more than that is

necessary.

68. To come out of the pose, release your hands from behind your back, place them on

your ankles and return to Stage Two< arms straight, legs straight, back flat, ga-ing at

the floor. +e here for a breath or two. The place your hands on your hips and come

to a standing position. Lower your arms.

6;. You are now in Tadasana, 3ountain 4ose. "lose your eyes and practice standing

still. +e aware of your feet on the floor and allow the weight of your body to sinkdownward. Let the soles of your feet be soft. +e sensitive to your connection with

the earth, merge with the floor, become grounded. Then let the crown of your head

float upward, without becoming ungrounded, and e$perience the inner feeling coming

upward through your spine, chest, and crown. "hest up, shoulder blades down, navel

backward toward the spine. ind the perfect point of balance. This, remember, is

where you feel most weightless, light. +e aware of how you feel. +e still.

E$perience what(s happening.

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06 Standing Forward Fold or Uttanasana.doc