Yoga: Standing forward bend with feet apart (Parsarita Padotanasana)

Standing forward bend with feet apart (Parsarita Padotanasana)

• Stand erect with your feet 3-4 feet apart, balanced and firmly grounded. Breathegentle deep breaths.
• Inhale, lengthen the spine, stretch arms overhead.
• Exhale, bend forward from the hip joints, keeping the spine straight.
• Place hands on the floor, under the shoulders. Inhale, exhale gentle deep breaths.
• Lifting the hips up, bend further as you breath out to bring the head toward the floor in between the hands.
• Separate the thighs. If you are stable, you can separate your feet further apart, maintaining the balance and firmness.
• Breathing out, press your hands firmly on the floor to deepen the bend. If your hands reach the feet, get hold of your big toes and pull on them to get a deeper bend.
• Inhale, stretch the arms to the front and lift upslowly.
• Exhale, bring the arms to the sides.

Benefits

• Strengthens the legs and feet.
• Lengthens the spine.
• Stretches the hamstrings.
• Strengthens the abdomen.

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