Uttanasana

Uttanasana

Uttanasana (Sanskrit: उत्तानासन; IAST: uttānāsana) or Standing Forward Bend, with variants such as Padahastasana where the toes are grasped, is a standing forward bending asana in modern yoga as exercise.

Etymology and origins

The name comes from the Sanskrit words उत्तान uttāna, "intense stretch"; and आसन; āsana, "posture" or "seat".

The pose is a modern one, first seen in the 20th century. A pose with the name Uttānāsana is illustrated in the 19th century Sritattvanidhi but it is quite different from the modern pose (lying on the back, with elbows touching the knees and the hands behind the neck). The modern pose is described in Krishnamacharya's 1934 Yoga Makaranda, and in the works of his pupils, B. K. S. Iyengar's 1966 Light on Yoga and Pattabhi Jois's Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.Theos Bernard however illustrates the related pose "Padhahasthasana" (sic) in his 1944 report of his experience of hatha yoga on the border of India and Tibet, suggesting the existence of a separate tradition.

Description

The pose is entered from the standing position of Tadasana, bending forward at the hips until the palms can be placed on the floor, ultimately behind the heels.

Variations

Padahastasana

Ardha Uttanasana is a halfway stage, the trunk horizontal and the palms resting on the calves.

Niralamba Uttanasana has the hands touching the waistband rather than reaching down.

Padahastasana has the hands under the toes and feet, palms up.

See also

• Paschimottanasana, a sitting forward bend

Further reading

• Iyengar, B. K. S. (1 October 2005). Illustrated Light On Yoga. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-81-7223-606-9.
• Saraswati, Swami Janakananda (1 February 1992). Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in Daily Life. Weiser Books. ISBN 978-0-87728-768-1.
• Saraswati, Swami Satyananda (2003). Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha. Nesma Books India. ISBN 978-81-86336-14-4.
• Saraswati, Swami Satyananda (January 2004). A Systematic Course in the Ancient Tantric Techniques of Yoga and Kriya. Nesma Books India. ISBN 978-81-85787-08-4.

External links

• "Witold Fitz-Simon - Uttanasana".