Paschimottanasana
Paschimottanasana (Sanskrit: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Lang/ISO 639 synonyms' not found.; IAST: paścimottānāsana) Seated Forward Bend,[1] or Intense Dorsal Stretch[2] is an asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise.
Etymology and origins[edit]
The name comes from the Sanskrit words paschima (पश्चिम, paścima) meaning "west" or "the back of the body";[3] uttana (उत्तान, uttāna) meaning "intense stretch" or "straight" or "extended";[4] and asana (आसन, āsana) meaning "posture" or "seat".[5]
The pose is described in the 15th-century Hatha Yoga Pradipika, chapter 1, verses 30-31.
Description[edit]
This asana is practiced in four stages:
- The yogi stretches their legs straight and swings the upper part of their body back and forth. With each swing, the yogi tries to reach further with their hands, touching their knees, calves, ankles, and finally their toes.
- The yogi bends forward to touch their knees with their hands.
- The yogi reaches further to touch their toes with their hands.
- The yogi tries to place their elbows at the side of their knees, and touch their knees with either their nose or their forehead.
People who have difficulty bending their backs should exercise caution when performing this asana.[6]
Variations[edit]
Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana is a balancing form of the pose, legs and hands pointing upwards.[7]
Gallery[edit]
See also[edit]
- Uttanasana, a standing forward bend
References[edit]
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ "Yoga Journal - Seated Forward Bend" [archive]. Retrieved 2011-04-10.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Asanas - Forward Bending Poses" [archive]. About Yoga. Retrieved 2011-06-25.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Lark, Liz (15 March 2008). 1,001 Pearls of Yoga Wisdom: Take Your Practice Beyond the Mat [archive]. Chronicle Books. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-8118-6358-2. Retrieved 25 June 2011.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Paschimottanasana" [archive]. Ashtanga Yoga. Retrieved 2011-04-10.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Sinha, S. C. (1 June 1996). Dictionary of Philosophy [archive]. Anmol Publications. p. 18. ISBN 978-81-7041-293-9.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Kapadia, Praveen (2002). Yoga Simplified (1st ed.). Hyderabad, India: Gandhi Gyan Mandir Yoga Kendra. pp. 124–125.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Urdhva-Mukha Paschimottanasana" [archive]. Ashtanga Yoga. Retrieved 8 February 2019.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
Further reading[edit]
- Iyengar, B. K. S. (1 October 2005). Illustrated Light On Yoga [archive]. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-81-7223-606-9. Retrieved 9 April 2011.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- Saraswati, Swami Satyananda (1 August 2003). Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha [archive]. Nesma Books India. ISBN 978-81-86336-14-4. Retrieved 9 April 2011.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- Saraswati, Swami Satyananda (January 2004). A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya [archive]. Nesma Books India. ISBN 978-81-85787-08-4. Retrieved 9 April 2011.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
