Upavistha – Seated, Kon – angle
Steps
- Sit in Dandasana. Spread your legs about 90 to 120 degrees apart.
- Place your hands on the floor and rotate your thigh in such a way so that the kneecap faces up towards the ceiling.
- Place your hands on the floor in between your legs, suck your lower abdomen in (Uddiyan bandha) and slowly walk your hands forward bending from the hips.
- The moment you find yourself bending from the waist stop there and try to lengthen your spine and move forward only if you can bend from your hip joints (try leading from your chest rather than head).
- You can also grab you big toes or feet with your hand and gently pull the feet back and transfer that energy to your spine and hips to keep your back straight and bend from the hips.
- To get deeper into the posture place your chest and chin on the floor maintaining a straight back
Modification
- If you cannot tip you hips then place a folded blanket under your buttock.
- Beginner can bend their knee slightly but the knee cap should be pointing up towards the ceiling.
Precautions
- Avoid rounding your lumbar spine to avoid disc problems
Benefits
- Stretches the hamstrings
- Strengthens the muscles of the spine.
Contraindication
- Lower back pain
- slip disc, sciatica