paścimottānāsana - part one

This simple figure shows a sweet sense of surrender offered when we practice paścimottānāsana.

Phonetic pronunciation: puhsh-chi-moat-tah-nah-suh-nuh[1]

paścima = "the west" / in back of
uttāna = intense stretch
āsana = pose

Reference to the back of the body (from the back of the head to the heels) as the "west" can be traced to the traditional practice of facing the rising sun when performing morning worship. [2] Paścimottānāsana stretches this western part of the body, intensely.

It’s important to warm up before trying this āsana or you risk injury. If you feel any stretching sensations around the origin/insertion of a muscle, stop, breathe, and adjust your alignment. In all poses, “your alignment and intention should always be adapted to direct stretching sensations into the belly of the target muscle --- not its attachments.”[2]

One other important caution: Do not round the spine. If you are new to yoga, there is a tendency to round. Resist the tendency.[3] The focus is on maintaining a long spine and hinging/bending at the hip joints as you move in a “forward fold” over your legs. When your body comes to its stopping place, then let it stop there. And, breathe.

Basic Instructions for entering the pose[4]

• From a sitting position
• With the legs extended straight out
• Reach your arms overhead as you breathe deeply in through your nose
• The upper body stretches up from the pelvis
• Hinging at the hips
• Exhaling through your nose
• While keeping the legs straight
• Gradually bend the upper body (trunk) toward the lower body (legs)
• Bend only as far as your body wants to go (listen)
• When your body has reached its comfortable edge
• Bend your knees and allow your upper body to rest on your thighs
• Rest your hands outstretched on the floor alongside your legs
• Breathe deeply through your nose and rest in the pose for 1 – 3 minutes

To come up, first lift the torso away from the thighs and straighten the elbows again if they are bent. Then inhale and lift the torso up by pulling the tailbone down and into the pelvis.[5]

“As you work with [paścimottānāsana], bending forward from the hips, observe how the physical position relates to the symbol of “intense stretch to the West.” Keep your awareness alive through observing, feeling, seeing, looking within and looking without. Take stock of what is happening physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.”[6]

Enjoy the week!

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[1] Stick figure instructions, pronunciation, and translation provided by http://www.yogablossom.com/.
[2] Yoga Anatomy, by Leslie Kaminoff (The Breathe Trust, 2007), pp. 82-83.
[3] “If you round too far, you can rupture a spinal disk, tear a ligament, or train a muscle. Keeping your spine straight as you bend forward can help you avoid those risks, and it has other positive effects, too, such as strengthening the back muscles and freeing the breath in the front of the body.” Round Control, by Roger Cole, Yoga Journal , September, 2009, p. 87.
[4] References: The Inner Life of Asanas, by Swami Lalitananda, (Timeless Books, 2007); Hatha Yoga, The Hidden Language, by Swami Sivananda Radha (Timeless Books, 2007).
[5] http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/477
[6] Hatha Yoga, The Hidden Language, by Swami Sivananda Radha (Timeless Books, 2007), p. 88.