Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
A standing forward bend is a fold from the hips with the head hanging toward the floor. Uttanasana means intense stretch: ut is intense and tan is to stretch. It lengthens the backs of the legs and lets the spine hang, and it is fine, even wise, to bend the knees as much as you need.
At a glance
- Sanskrit name
- Uttanasana
- Pronunciation
- oot-tun-AHS-uh-nuh. The double t is held a moment, and the stress falls on AHS.
- Family
- Standing
- Practised in
- Yoga for beginners
- In pregnancy
- Adapt
- After birth
- Adapt
The standing forward bend is the first fold most people meet, and the one they most often try too hard in. The aim is to hang, not to touch the floor.
In a beginners’ lesson at your pace I ask for bent knees from the first breath, so the fold comes from the hips and the back stays easy.
It is also the fold inside each round of Surya Namaskar, which is where you will meet it most, and one of the shapes on the standing poses page with two lines on each.
How to do Standing Forward Bend
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips.
Breathe in and lengthen up. Breathe out and hinge forward from the hips, keeping the back long at first.
Bend your knees generously and let your hands rest on your shins, on blocks or on the floor.
Let the head and neck hang heavy, and shift your weight a little toward the balls of your feet.
Stay for five to eight breaths. You can hold opposite elbows and sway gently if that feels good.
To come up, bend the knees, bring the hands to the hips and rise slowly with a long back, head last.
My cues
- Fold from the hip creases, the way you would bow, not from the waist. The knees can bend as much as they like.
- Let your belly rest on your thighs before you try to straighten the legs at all.
- Come up slower than you think you need to, especially in a warm room.
Modifications
- Rest the hands on two blocks, a chair seat or a low table.
- Take the feet wider than the hips if the lower back feels the fold.
In pregnancy. Adapt. Take the feet wide for the belly, keep the hands on blocks or a chair so the head stays above the hips, and rise very slowly to avoid dizziness. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.
After birth. Adapt. After your doctor or midwife has cleared you, keep the knees bent and the hands on blocks at first, and come up slowly. Long hours of carrying a baby make a gentle hang very welcome.
Common mistakes
- Locking the knees and rounding hard through the lower back to reach the floor.
- Coming up quickly with the head first, which can make you light-headed.
- Hanging all the weight back in the heels.
Pairs well with
- Mountain PoseTadasana
- Downward-Facing DogAdho Mukha Svanasana
- Sun SalutationSurya Namaskar