Poses >> Purvottanasana

Purvottanasana

Purvo literally means the East, but in yoga, we refer to the whole front side of the body as the east side, from the fingers to the toes. Uttana means intense stretch. In this pose, we attempt to stretch the entire front body.

1. Begin sitting on the floor with the legs stretched straight forward. Put the palms on the floor by the butt with the fingers pointing straight forward.

2. Bend the knees and place the feet on the floor with your heels at least a foot from the butt. The big toes should turn slightly inward.

3. Take a big inhale and shift weight into your palms, then with your exhale, press the hands and inner feet down to lift the hips off the floor. This is often known as reverse tabletop position. The torso and thighs are parallel to the floor.

4. One leg at a time, extend your legs straight forward with the soles of the feet flat on the floor and big toes still turning slightly inward. Lift your hips even higher without squeezing your butt. Press the shoulder blades onto the back.

5. Without compressing the neck, slowly drop the head back and press the toes into the mat in front of you.

6. This can be a very intense pose, as the entire front body is activated and the arms and shoulders are supporting most of the weight. Breathe deep and even through your nose. Don’t strain. To release, simply lower your butt softly back to the floor and rest.

For many people, the instruction given in step four can be too intense. If that is the case, feel free to stay in the modified version as described in step three with bent knees. If you have difficulty opening your shoulders in this pose, raise your hands off the floor onto the seat of a sturdy chair.

This asana strengthens the arms, shoulders and chest while stretching the latter two open at the same time. It fights fatigue and is a good preparatory pose for paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend). So much of our lives are leaning forward and down. This pose reverses those effects by lifting you up! Enjoy.

Text and Video by Featured Yogamates Teacher: Vytas Baskauskas