Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend Sanskrit: Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana / उपविष्टकोणासन)
An excellent asana for all the advanced wide-legged standing or seated poses, Upavistha Konasana (Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana) or the Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend stretches the legs while simultaneously strengthening the back muscles. The word ‘Upavistha’ means seated or sitting and ‘Konasana’ means angled.
Instructions for Doing the Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend
- Start by sitting in the Dandasana (Daṇḍāsana) position. Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you. Place your palms on the floor beside your hips with your fingers pointing towards your feet. Keep your arms straight, lock your elbows, and keep your spine upright and erect.
- Now, widen your legs and move them away from each other sideways one by one. Move them as far away from each other as it’s possible for you.
- As you stretch your legs, make sure your knees aren’t bent and the backsides of your legs are in contact with the floor all the time.
- Catch both your big toes between your thumbs and index and middle fingers. Catch the right toe with the right hand and left toe with the left hand.
- While keeping your spine comfortably erect extend your ribs forward and pull the diaphragm up. Hold this position for a few seconds.
- Now, with an exhalation, bend forward and rest your head gently on the floor.
- Extend your neck and try to place your chin on the floor.
- After this, grab your feet with your hands (again, right foot with the right hand and left foot with left hand) and try to place your chest on the floor. Hold this position for about 30 to 60 seconds, breathing normally, without any jerks.
- To release the asana, inhale and lift your torso off the floor and come back to step 1’s position (Dandasana).
Benefits of Doing Upavistha Konasana
- It’s a powerful asana that strengthens and tones the leg muscles including – the thighs, hamstrings, quads, glutes, adductor muscles, calves, and ankles.
- It also stretches the pelvic region, abdomen, and the spine, improving blood circulation and regulating the function of the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, digestive system, and the reproductive system.
- This asana is also helpful for curing ailments like – sciatica, menstrual disorders, hernia, arthritis.
- Your core becomes stronger and your sense of balance and coordination increase. It also corrects the posture and re-energizes the system.
- Upavistha Konasana calms the brain and relaxes the nervous system, improving your mood almost instantly. It’s helpful for relieving the symptoms of anxiety and mild depression.
Precautions
- Do not practice this pose if you have a knee, spinal, hamstring, hip, or neck injury.
- Those who are suffering from herniated disks or severe sacroiliac joint pain should also skip this pose.
- Pregnant women shouldn’t practice this asana either.