Standing Forward BendSave PDF
Uttanasana
oo-TAH-NAH-sah-nah
Stretches the back body
Stimulates the liver and kidneys
Calms the mind
How to perform Standing Forward Bend
- Stand with your feet together, feet parallel. Bend forward from your hips with an exhale. Lengthen your torso as you come down. Reach your palms toward the floor on either side of your feet.
- Draw your kneecaps up and lift your sitting bones toward the sky. Let your head hang.
- Hold the pose and take slow, deep breaths.
- Place your hands on your hips. Lengthen your spine with an inhale and rise to standing.
Alignment cues
- Relax neck
- Do not lock knees
- Press heels into floor
- Lift kneecaps
- Lift sit bones toward sky
Modification: Bend your knees. Hold onto your shins to lessen the stretch.
Avoid this pose if you have high blood pressure.
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Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana in Sanskrit) is a beginner yoga pose that belongs to the forward bends and inversions and standing categories. This asana targets hamstrings, lower back and spine, and also involves calves, middle back / lats and upper back & lower traps muscles. Standing forward bend stimulates the liver and kidneys; stretches the back body and also calms the mind. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this posture correctly. Discover more yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises in our free yoga pose directory – a visual resource for yoga teacher training students as well as practitioners of all levels. Finally, shop our best-selling Yoga Cards products!
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Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
