Follow the following steps to perform this asana.
Start with a standing forward bend pose or Uttanasana and then take a deep breath, inhale through the back of your lungs and exhale, let yourself hang heavily.
Ensure that your feet are parallel to each other and hip width distance apart, which is about equal to the space of your two fists between the arches of your feet.
Take another deep breath and inhale through your back body and exhale as you bend softly into your knees.
Again inhale and as you do it connect to your core and lift your torso halfway up.
Depending upon what suits you the best, either place your fingertips on your shins or the floor or on a block.
After this tilt your pelvis to neutral and bend into the natural curve of your lower lumbar spine and draw your shoulder blades together and down your spine.
Now once this is done, lift from your head as though you are pressing into a wall in front of your and keep the back of your neck long and tuck your chin slightly.
Now hold on to the pose for some time and inhale to the top of your lungs. After this exhale to the bottom.
After you are able to hold your spine in a neutral position here, work to straighten your knees.
To end the pose use your core muscles and arms to bring you slowly back down to standing forward bend on an exhale.
This is a very beneficial pose of yoga and is has special impact on important body parts like the back torso and belly.
There are several therapeutic applications of this pose. Some of them are as follows - This asana helps to treat the stomach pains, toning of the spleen, kidneys and the liver. It is also helpful in relieving the abdominal pain that women experience during the menstrual periods. It helps to cure problems of asthma, headaches, insomnia and menopause. It stimulates the muscles of the belly and improves digestion and helps in lowering the high blood pressure. This asana is also believed to have therapeutic benefits for problems like sinusitis, osteoporosis and fertility. Along with all this it is also beneficial in reducing anxiety, depression, stress and mental fatigue.
There are several benefits of this pose as it connects and impacts different parts of the body. Some of its benefits are as follows -
Stretches the front torso and makes it stronger.
It helps to strengthen the back and helps to improve the posture.
It helps to stimulate the belly and makes it flexible and stronger.
It is beneficial for the hips, hamstrings, claves and low back.
It also makes your thighs and knees stronger and more flexible.
It helps to warm up your body and also works on your core to make it stronger and powerful.
It is also a good preparatory pose for any other forward bends as it makes the body more flexible and provides it with the required strength.
Even though it is a very beneficial pose, there can be certain contraindications and cautions one needs to keep in mind as it may not always be beneficial. One should avoid doing this asana especially if they have any serious lower back issues or any injuries in their low back or the back of their legs. Also if you have any neck injury, do not lift the head to look forward.
It is a very easy pose so may not be too tough for beginners, however in case they are not able to easily touch the floor with their knees straight, they can support each hand on a yoga block just outside each foot.
Few variations can be made to suit the needs of people and to simplify it, especially the beginners who are not very comfortable. In case the hamstrings are tight, the knees can be bent slightly. In case you are not able to touch the floor with the knees straight, place your palms on the thighs or the shins. For balance, the support of the wall can be used. To maintain a better balance you can stretch your arms outwards from the sides of the body.
A few modifications that can be made to this pose are as follows - you can rest the fingertips on the shins, floor or the block, they can also use the option to lift up a quarter of the way to standing rather than halfway and they can also bend generously into the knees for any tightness in the back of their legs or in the lower back.
Some of the poses you can perform before this asana are - the standing forward bend pose or Uttanasana and the Mountain pose or Tadasana.
After successful completion of this pose some of the follow up poses are - Triangle Pose (Trikonasana), Warrior Pose (Virabhadrasana), Chair Pose (Utkatasana), Wide Legged Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana) and Tree Pose (Vrikshasana).