How to do: Standing Half Forward Bend – Ardha Uttanasana

In yoga Standing Forward Bend is not really practiced on its own, it’s more of a transitional pose. But still helps to rejuvenate and stretch the spine and legs.

It is a fundamental pose in both the Sun Salutation A and B sequence where it serves as the transition between Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana) and Chaturanga Dandasana.

Ardha Uttanasana is an amazing pose as it and can be part of many other sequences in Vinyasa yoga and it will become invaluable as you advance your yoga practice.

Stay relaxed in this pose as it helps prepare the body for deeper yoga poses. Your body will lengthen and strengthen with time and practice.

1. Stand in Mountain Pose (Tadasana), with your feet hip-width apart. Turn the toes in slightly in while keeping the outside edges of your feet straight and parallel with each other.
2. Inhale as you reach your arms up overhead, turning the triceps forward so the palms face one another.
3. Engage your quadriceps (the front thigh muscles) and draw them up toward the ceiling.
4. Slowly exhale as you gradually bend forward from the hips while you keep looking between your hands. Continue reaching forward with your arms as you fold your torso over your legs.
5. If you are very flexible, then it will be easy for you to place your fingertips on the floor next to your feet. However, you are free to stop bending forward whenever you have reached down as far as you can.
6. Now breathe in as you straighten your arms. Using the strength of your core (not your lower back!) lift the torso halfway up almost parallel to the ground.
7. Extend your chest forward and your tailbone back to lengthen your spine. Lift your chest away from your thighs, straightening the arms.
8. Draw your shoulders back away from your ears and spread collar bones wide. Shift your weight toward your toes. Keep your hips aligned over your ankles.
9. Keep your abdominal muscles constantly engaged.
10.   If you are stiff, press your hands right below the knees at the tops of your shins. Otherwise, come onto your fingertips if your hands are on the blocks or the floor.
11.  Keeping your legs straight, lengthen the sides and back of your neck evenly.
12. Hold the pose for 30 – 60 seconds while breathing normally.
13. To come out of the pose, release your head to let it hang down. Inhale as you roll your torso slowly up while your legs remain straight.
14. Or return to Uttanasana.

Beginner Tips for Standing Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana):

• If you struggle to touch the floor with your knees straight, support each hand on a yoga block set just outside each foot. Keeping your feet hip distance apart. Lengthening the spine is your main focus in the pose.
• If you find you are prone to balance problems, you can brace your hands on your shins, or place them on the floor or a yoga block in front of you. You can also try separating your feet and placing a yoga block between your thighs. This will help build strength, stability, and balance.
• Be sure to fold from the hips, not the waist.  To practice this. press your hands into your front hip bones and hinge from that spot, keeping your torso long.
• Your goal here is to align your ankles, knees, and hips. Students tend to lean back, placing the weight on the heels. Practice with your back against a wall to learn the correct weight distribution.
• Bend your knees as much as necessary if you have a tight low back or legs, prioritize having a flat back over having straight legs.
• When your hands are supported in Ardha Uttanasana, your hamstrings can let go — this is when they start to lengthen. So, bend your knees and keep touching the ground. Over time you will have to bend your knees less and less and finally do the pose with straight legs.
• Don’t hyperextend or lock you your knees, keep a slight bend in them.

Caution When Performing Standing Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana):

Standing Half Forward Bend is a relaxing pose most people can do safely as long as they are using good form. But be careful with certain conditions. Always work within your own range of limits and abilities.

• If you have a neck injury, even though Ardha Uttanasana only involves a slight lift of your chin, do not lift your head at all if you have a neck injury.
• If you have a back injury like herniated vertebral discs, you should practice this pose with your hands resting on the back of a chair or against a wall, keeping the knees slightly bent.
• Keep the knees bent slightly if you have any pain in your lower back or sciatica. Turning the toes inward may also help to make the pose more comfortable.
• If you suffer from a hamstring injury, bend you knees rather that keeping them straight.
• If you have problems with balancing use a chair or wall to prevent a fall.
• If you have an abdominal hernia, modify the pose by using a wall or yoga blocks. If the pose causes pain in the area of your hernia, come out of the pose.

Advanced Modifications:

• If you’re working on jumping back to Chaturanga, Ardha Uttanasana is pretty important. It gets your upper body in the correct position to flow correctly from one position to the next.
• To practice deepening your Uttanasana, try going from flat back to a full forward fold. As you inhale, come up to a flat back with the spine long. As you exhale, forward fold deeply over your legs. Move back and forth using your yogic breathing 10 times.
• To make this pose harder, bring your hands from your shins to your toes while maintaining a flat back. Move the chest forward keeping a long neck and engaging the abdominals.

Benefits of Ardha Uttanasana:

This pose is favored by Iyengar Yoga teachers for its back strengthening and posture improving properties.

• Increased strength and flexibility – It’s a great way to build up strength and flexibility you’ll need for advanced yoga poses and sequences.
• Yoga breathing – This pose gives you a great opportunity to practice your yoga breathing especially as part of the Sun Salutation sequences.
• Improved digestion – Practicing Half Standing Forward Bend pose can help to stimulate the abdominal organs, improving digestion.
• Lengthens the muscles – Half Standing Forward Bend pose stretches and lengthens the backs of the legs, including the hamstrings and calves, and it also stretches the front torso and low back.
• Improved posture – Since you are attempting to create a flat back, this pose also strengthens the back muscles, stretches, and lengthens your hamstrings, and may improve your posture and spinal alignment.
• Relieves stress – With your head inverted and focusing your eyes on the top of your mat, this pose may also help mental function, aid in focus, reduce stress, and calm the nervous system.
• Pain relief – This pose eases tension in the lumbar and sacral spine and remove body pain from sitting too much.
• Improves Balance

Common Mistakes:

• Your back isn’t flat – You need more extension of your spine, you can practice Half Forward Fold with your hands placed flat against a wall at hip height. Bring your upper body parallel to the floor.
• Your back rounds – Bend your knees and bring your hands down to the ground or onto yoga blocks and work on finding the natural curve of your lower back
• You’re Bending at the Waist– Remember to bend from the hips rather than the waist.
• You’re Leaning Back – As you bend forward, you want your ankles, knees, and hips to stay aligned
• Your feet are turned out – If your feet or knees turn out when practicing Ardha Uttanasana, place a yoga block between your thighs and squeeze the block. This will help you build strength in your inner thigh muscles.
• Stay engaged – There is also a tendency to become passive in this pose. Maintain active legs and core and keep reaching through the crown of your head.

Modifications and variations for Standing Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana):

• Placing a folded mat under the balls of your feet before you bend is a great way to further improve your flexibility and easily deepen the stretch in your hamstrings.
• If you’re practicing with a wall and can’t keep your back flat, walk your hands higher up the wall until your spine is straight.
• To further strengthen the back, extend your arms directly forward, with your elbows alongside your ears.
• Another way to strengthen your back, is to place your hands in prayer position, keeping your shoulder blades down and your back muscles and abdominal muscles engaged.
• The twist variation: with your back straight and your spine long, place your right fingertips down and raise your left arm, slightly bending the opposite knee. Repeat on the other side.