Uttanasana ( sa, उत्तानासन; ) or Standing Forward Bend, with variants such as Padahastasana where the toes are grasped, is a standing forward bending

asana An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...

in modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...

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 The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instructions for, and ill ...

'' 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 Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (18 November 1888 – 28 February 1989) was an Indian yoga teacher, ayurvedic healer and scholar. He is seen as one of the most important gurus of modern yoga, and is often called "the father of modern yoga" for h ...

's 1934 ''

Yoga Makaranda ''Yoga Makaranda'' (Sanskrit: योग मकरन्द), meaning "''Essence of Yoga''", is a 1934 book on hatha yoga by the influential pioneer of yoga as exercise, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. Most of the text is a description of 42 asana ...

'', and in the works of his pupils,

B. K. S. Iyengar Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar (14 December 1918 – 20 August 2014) was an Indian teacher of yoga and author. He is founder of the style of yoga as exercise, known as " Iyengar Yoga", and was considered one of the foremost yoga guru ...

's 1966 ''

Light on Yoga ''Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika'' (Sanskrit: योग दीपिका, "Yoga Dīpikā") is a 1966 book on the Iyengar Yoga style of modern yoga as exercise by B. K. S. Iyengar, first published in English. It describes more than 200 yoga posture ...

'' and

Pattabhi Jois K. Pattabhi Jois (26 July 1915 – 18 May 2009) was an Indian yoga guru who developed and popularized the flowing style of yoga as exercise known as Ashtanga vinyasa yoga. In 1948, Jois established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mys ...

's Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Theos Bernard however illustrates the related pose "Padhahasthasana" (sic) in his 1944 report of his experience of

hatha yoga Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭha ...

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

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.

References

External links

* {{Yoga as exercise Standing asanas Forward bend asanas Surya Namaskar

Etymology and origins

Description

Variations

See also

References

Further reading

External links