forward bendsfrom the hips and release the lower spine
forward, away from the hips. Compacting
the hips can propel the sides of your waist
forward and protect your hamstrings
from overstretching. From the top of your
buttocks, lengthen your entire lower back
toward your head. Ideally, you’ll feel as
though your hamstrings go back while
your spine moves forward.
As you take your head down, keep the
sides of the neck long. If your head doesn’t
reach your legs, or if you find that the
throat is constricted, the chest is closing,
or your head is much lower than your
chest, place a blanket, bolster, or block on
top of your shins to support your head.
Keep the back of the neck parallel to the
floor, not diagonally slanting downward.FEEL FREE
Now that you have gone deeper in the
pose, observe what is happening along
your spine. If you feel as though your bot-
tom ribs are stuck to your abdomen, you
are folding from the waist rather than
the hips. So, come up slightly to free your
lower abdomen, spread the diaphragm,
and lengthen the front of your torso from
the pelvis toward your chest. To refine the
pose, move your back ribs down to bring
your front ribs closer to your thighs.
It’s a lot to keep in mind, but be pa tient.
If you find yourself getting frustrated,
work intelligently with the breath. On
the inhalation, focus on lengthening the
front of your torso and working your legs.
On the exhalation, focus on lengthening
forward. During and at the end of the
ex halation, you may also experience ten-
sion being released for a few moments,
allowing you to go deeper into the pose
without aggression. This release is an im -
portant component of forward bending
with abhyasa and vairagya, as it helps you
create inner space and freedom. With
your forehead resting, your brain can relax
from the activity of constantly process-
ing information. In this position, you can
enter a sanctuary for a stressed mind and
rest in a deep sense of peace. ✤Marla Apt (yoganga.com), a certified Iyengar
Yoga instructor, teaches yoga and leads teacher
trainings in Los Angeles and abroad.by coming up slightly, extending your
legs, and lifting your ribs away from your
abdomen. Otherwise, continue to ex tend
deeper into the pose by drawing your
chest closer to your feet for up to a min-
ute. Then, on an inhalation, let go of your
feet, lift your arms to the ceiling again,
and return to Dandasana.pose benefits
Stretches hamstrings and back
Relieves menstrual cramps
Reduces headachecontraindications
Sciatica and lumbar-
disk problems
Depression
PregnancyStay in the pose for another minute,
with your hands about shoulder-width
apart so that your chest doesn’t narrow.
Move the shoulder blades and back ribs
forward toward the chest, and spread
your collarbones apart. Employ abhyasa
as you engage the middle back, where you
may especially feel the effort of the back
muscles contracting to support the lift
of your chest. To come out, let go of your
belt, inhale, and sit up straight, returning
to Dandasana. If you suffer from lower-
back problems or are very stiff, you may
want to continue practicing this version
before going on to the next phase.
THE LOWDOWN
In this second phase (figure 2), you hold
the sides of your feet to get more exten-
sion in the sides of your torso while broad-
ening across your chest and shoulders and
moving farther toward your feet.
Begin in Dandasana as you did pre-
viously. Inhale and extend your arms
straight up overhead. Lift the sides of
your rib cage and waist. On an exhala-
tion, reach forward and clasp your outer
feet. Pull on your feet and draw your arms
back as you did in the first variation, to
make your back concave. Flatten your
thighs into the floor and move your but-
tocks back as you inhale and lengthen
your abdomen forward. Broaden the top
of your chest so that the shoulders, col-
larbones, neck, and throat remain soft.
On your next exhalation, begin to bend
your elbows out to the sides, and lengthen
your torso toward the feet. Don’t drop
the elbows, but keep them level with the
shoulders. Push through your inner heels
as you continue to widen your elbows,
keeping the top chest broad. Spread the
shoulders away from each other so that
your upper back feels wide as well.
Now that your torso is broad, create
more length. Pull the sides of your waist
forward toward your side ribs, the side
ribs toward your armpits, and the armpits
toward your elbows. This will help you
maintain the length of your front torso
so that your back doesn’t form a hump.
If you find that your abdomen is tight-
ening, your effort has become aggressive.
Balance your perseverance with vairagya
DEEP FOLD
If you were able to keep your torso long
while going forward in the previous vari-
ations, you can now attempt the final
pose, which involves folding down while
lengthening forward. Starting in Dan-
dasana, inhale and lift the arms skyward
to open your front body. Exhale, lengthen
forward, and clasp your heels with your
hands. Lift your chest and make your
back concave again. Pull the outer edges
of your feet toward your pelvis as you
push forward through your inner heels.
Broaden the soles of your feet.
On the next exhalation, bend your el -
bows to the sides and begin to pull your
torso forward. Turn the tops of your thighs
inward and press them strongly down so
that you feel your hamstrings lengthen
and widen on the floor. Even though you
are working to spread your hamstrings
and buttocks, your hips should feel com-
pact. Press your outer thighs and hips into
the floor. Lengthening the hamstrings and
spreading the buttocks will help you pivotYOGA TODAY YOGAJOURNAL.COM 81