Home arrow Yoga Poses arrow Standing Poses arrow Uttanasana (Intense Forward Stretch Pose)
Uttanasana (Intense Forward Stretch Pose)
Uttanasana slows the heart beats down. After finishing the asana one feels calm and cool, the eyes start to glow and the mind feels at peace. 

Benefits:

Relieves mental and physical exhaustion.

Slows down the heartbeat.

Tones the liver, spleen, and kidneys.

Relieves stomachache.

Reduces abdominal and back pain during menstruation.

Contra-indications:

For those prone to acidity or dizziness, practice this asana with the legs positioned slightly apart.

Instructions

  • Stand in Tadasana.
  • Keep the knees tight.
  • Stretch both the legs and lift both the arms towards the ceiling, palms facing forwards.
  • Take one or two breaths.
  • Exhaling, stretch the spine forward, lengthening the waist.
  • Place the finger tips on the floor under the shoulders.
  • Keep the elbows straight.
  • Exhaling, bend forward and place the fingers on the floor. Then place the palms on the floor by the side of the feet, behind the heels. Do not bend the legs at the knees.
  • Inhaling, lift the chest, raise the head, concave the back and look up to stretch the spine.
  • Move the hips a little forwards towards the head so as to bring the legs perpendicular to the floor.
    Those who have slipped disc should remain with the spine stretched forwards and the spine concave - do not continue past this step. Do not bend the trunk forwards as this puts pressure on the spine.
  • Remain in this position and take two deep breaths.
  • Exhaling, bend the elbows to take the head down, trunk towards the thighs, keeping the waist long.
  • Rest the head on the knees.
  • Extend the bottom ribs and posterior trunk.
  • Pull the abdominal muscles, the anterior trunk and the diaphragm towards the floor.
  • Do not slacken the grip at the knees, but pull the knee-caps well up.
  • Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds with deep and even breathing.
  • Inhaling, lift the chest and concave the back.
  • Inhaling, raise the head from the knees, but without lifting the palms from the floor.
  • Come up to Tadasana.
  • After two breaths, take a deep inhalation, lift the hands from the floor and come back to Samasthiti.

BKS Iyengar is generally acknowledged to have refined and systemised the yoga poses that those in the West know today. The above instructions are a consolidation of those given by BKS Iyengar, Geeta Iyengar and senior Iyengar Yoga teachers, both from their books and from classes personally attended. We pay our deepest respect to BKS Iyengar and to his senior teachers, and recommend books by the Iyengar family as the most authoritative sources of yoga instruction.