Pashchimottanasana (), Seated Forward Bend, or Intense Dorsal Stretch is a seated forward-bending

asana An āsana (Sanskrit: आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and late ...

hatha yoga Hatha yoga (; Sanskrit हठयोग, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''haṭhayoga'') is a branch of yoga that uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word ह� ...

and modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or ...

. Janusirsasana is a variant with one knee bent out to the side; Upavishthakonasana has the legs straight and wide apart.

Etymology and origins

The name Paschimottanasana comes from three Sanskrit words. ''Paschima'' (, ) has the surface meaning of "West" or "the back of the body". In terms of the

subtle body A subtle body is a "quasi material" aspect of the human body, being neither solely physical nor solely spiritual, according to various Western esotericism, esoteric, occultism, occult, and mysticism, mystical teachings. This contrasts with th ...

(as in the '' Yogabīja''), it means the central energy channel, the sushumna nadi, which runs the length of the backbone. ''Uttana'' (, ) means "intense stretch" or "straight" or "extended". ''Asana'' (, ) meaning "posture" or "seat". The pose is described in the 15th-century ''

Hatha Yoga Pradipika The ''Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā'' ( or Light on Hatha Yoga) is a classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on haṭha yoga, written by Svātmārāma, who connects the teaching's lineage to Matsyendranath of the Nathas. It is among the most infl ...

'', chapter 1, verses 28-29. The name Dandasana (; ) is from Sanskrit meaning "stick" or "staff". The pose is not found in the medieval

texts. The 19th century '' Sritattvanidhi'' uses the name Dandasana for a different pose, the body held straight, supported by a rope. The yoga scholar Norman Sjoman notes, however, that the traditional Indian ''Vyayama'' gymnastic exercises include a set of movements called "dands", similar to

Surya Namaskar Sun Salutation, also called Surya Namaskar or Salute to the Sun (, ), is a practice in yoga as exercise incorporating a flow sequence of some twelve linked asanas. The asana sequence was first recorded as yoga in the early 20th century, though s ...

and to the vinyasas used in modern yoga. The name Janusirsasana (; ) comes from the Sanskrit () meaning "knee" and () meaning "head". The pose is a modern one, first seen in the 20th century. It is described in

Krishnamacharya Tirumala Krishnamacharya (18 November 1888 – 28 February 1989) was an Indian yoga as exercise, yoga teacher, ayurvedic healer and scholar. He is seen as one of the most important gurus of modern yoga, and is often called "Father of Modern ...

's 1934 ''

Yoga Makaranda ''Yoga Makaranda'' (Sanskrit: योग मकरन्द), meaning "''Essence of Yoga''", is a 1934 book on hatha yoga by the influential pioneer of yoga as exercise, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. Most of the text is a description of 42 asanas ...

'', and in the works of his pupils, B. K. S. Iyengar's 1966 '' Light on Yoga'' and

Pattabhi Jois K. Pattabhi Jois (26 July 1915 – 18 May 2009) was an Indian Modern yoga gurus, yoga guru who developed and popularized the vinyasa, flowing style of yoga as exercise known as Ashtanga (vinyasa) yoga. In 1948, Jois established the Ashtanga Yo ...

's Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. The name Upavishthakonasana (; ) is from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

() meaning "open" and () meaning "angle". It is not found in medieval

, but is described in ''Light on Yoga''. It is independently described under a different name, Hastapadasana ("Hand-to-Foot Pose") in Swami Vishnudevananda's 1960 '' Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga'', suggesting an older origin.

Description

Paschimottanasana is entered from Dandasana (seated Staff pose) by bending forward from the hips without straining and grasping the feet or lower legs. A strap may be placed around the feet and grasped in the hands if the back is stiff. The head may be rested on a folded blanket or bolster, which may be raised on a small stool if necessary. People who have difficulty bending their backs should exercise caution when performing this asana.

Variations

Dandasana or "Staff pose" has the legs extended along the floor and the body straight upright, with the palms or fingertips on the ground. People who cannot sit on the floor like this can sit on a folded blanket. Janusirsasana or "Head to knee pose" has one leg extended with toes pointing upward, and the other leg bent with knee pointing away from the straight leg and the sole of the foot in by the groin. The torso folds straight forwards over the extended leg. Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana, also called Ubhaya Padangusthasana, is a balancing form of the pose, legs and hands pointing upwards. Parivritta Paschimottanasana is the reversed or twisted form of the pose, the body twisted to one side and the hands reversed, so that if the body is turned to the left, the right hand grasps the left foot, the right elbow is over the left knee, and the left hand grasps the right foot. Trianga Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana has one leg bent as in Virasana. Wide-Legged Forward Bend (Prone Paschimottanasana) Open your legs wider than hip-width apart and fold forward. This variation targets the inner thighs while still stretching the back. Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana has one leg crossed over the other as in Padmasana. Upavishthakonasana or "wide-angle seated forward bend" has both legs straight along the ground, as wide apart as possible, with the chin and nose touching the ground. Parsva Upavishthakonasana (to the side) has the body facing one leg, and the hands both grasping the foot of that leg, without raising the opposite hip. Urdhva Upavishthakonasana (upwards) is similar to Navasana but with legs wide. It has the first and second fingers grasping the big toes, the legs wide apart, straight, and raised to around head height; the body is tilted back slightly to balance on the sitting bones. The pose can be practised with a strap around each foot if the legs cannot be straightened fully in the position; a rolled blanked can be placed behind the buttocks to assist with balancing. If you have a back injury, a knee injury, or high

blood pressure Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of Circulatory system, circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels. Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system. When used without qualification, the term ...

, avoid this asana. File:Dandasana yoga posture.jpg, Dandasana File:Janusirsasana_Yoga-Asana_Nina-Mel.jpg, Janusirsasana File:Upavisha-konasana.jpg, Upavishthakonasana

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

Yoga Journal description

Yoga in Daily Life description
{{Hatha yoga Sitting asanas Forward bend asanas Medieval Hatha Yoga asanas ru:Растягивающие асаны#Пашчимоттанасана