Step by step
- Most people will benefit from sitting on a folded blanket or cushion for this pose.
- From a seated position, legs outstretched in front of you, fold forward from the hips, allowing your spine to round.
- Relax your legs and allow your feet to naturally fall outwards or inwards.
- Hold the pose for 3 to 5 minutes. You are looking for sensations along the spine and/or in the hamstrings.
- To come out of the pose, use your hands to press the floor away and slowly unroll the spine.
- Place your hands behind you and lean backwards to release the hips before moving into your counter pose.
Beginners’ tips
- Bend your knees as much as you need if the sensations in your hamstrings / lower back are too strong.
Benefits
- Stretches the spine and the hamstrings.
- Stimulates the kidneys and adrenal glands.
- Massages the digestive organs through breath and compression.
- Stimulates the Urinary Bladder meridians along the spine.
Watch out for
- Can aggravate Sciatica.
- Avoid if you have back issues that do not allow flexion of the spine.
- In case of hamstring injuries or lower back pain, keep your knees bent.
Variations
- Keep your legs together or hip distance apart, depending on the position that allows you to fold forward with ease.
- Support your upper body with a bolster placed along your legs.
- If neck is sensitive, support your head with a block.
- Place a folded blanket or a bolster under your knees if they are bent.
- Adjust the position of your feet to find different kind of stimulations in your hamstrings.
Alternative poses
- Half Butterfly: bend one leg, placing the foot towards the opposite inner thigh.
- Half Shoelace: bend one leg, placing the knee over the knee of the opposite leg, heel towards the hip.
- Half Frog: bend one leg, rotating your thigh inward, place the foot beside your hip.
Counter poses
- Reversed Tabletop
- Reclined Twist
- Windshield Wipers