Yoga: Standing forward bend (Hastapadasana)

Standing forward bend (Hastapadasana)

• Stand straight with feet together and arms alongside the body.
• Balance your weight equally on both feet.
• Breathing in, extend your arms overhead.
• Breathing out, bend forward and down towards the feet.
• Stay in the posture for 20-30 seconds and continue to breath deeply
• Keep the legs and spine erect; hands rest either on the floor, beside the feet or on the legs
• On the out breath, move the chest towards the knees; lift the hips and tailbone higher; press the heels down; let the head relax and move it gently towards the feet. Keep breathing deeply.
• Breathing in, stretch your arms forward and up, slowly come up to the standing position.
• Breathing out, bring the arms to the sides.

Benefits:

• Stretches all the muscles of the back of the body.
• Invigorates the nervous system by increasing the blood supply.
• Makes the spine supple.
• Tones the abdominal organs.

Reference: http://www.artofliving.org/in-en/standing-forward-bend