Yoga for Health - Pascima Tanasana

Pascima Tanasana

Sthithi : Dandasana

Practice

• Inhale , raise both the arms sideways at shoulder level parallel to the ground.
• Turn the palms facing upwards
• Continue to inhale and raise the arms further up vertically (biceps touching the ears) and stretch the trunk from the coccyx region . Now turn the palms forward
• Exhale , bend the trunk forward from the lower back, stretching the arms (hands parallel to the ground)
• Exhale completely. From hooks of the index fingers , catch hold of the big toes .Bend the back further forward from the lumbar sacral region so that the trunk is stretched along the thighs and the face rests on the knee. Bend the hands at the elbow and relax the abdomen muscles.
• Maintain this position for about a minute with normal breathing.
• Return to sthithi reversing the steps and the breathing
• Relax in sthithi Dandasana

Note  Do not allows the knees to bend 

Benefits

This asana gives flexibility to the backbone, stimulates the spinal nerves and back muscles , enhances digestion, energises the whole body and helps in controlling constipation.

Limitations

People with heart ailments , back problems and spondylosis should avoid this posture.

"This is a collected article from Sri Swami Vivekananda Yoga research Foundation . Simple yoga books are available at the institute. Our sincere thanks to Dr R Nagarathna and Dr H R Nagendra for sharing the details."