Seated Forward Fold
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Paschimottanasana is a gift to our internal organs, central nervous system, and minds. The digestive system and other organs are gently massaged as we bend forward. It is said that when we open the back of the body in yoga we are allowing ourselves to honor and let go of the past. Perhaps this is why paschimottanasana is a calming posture to our nervous systems and mind.
Let's do this pose:
Sit with a straight spine and your leg stretched out in front of you.
Be sure that you are sitting on your sit bones.
Place a folded blanket under your bottom if needed.
Select a YogaSphereâ„¢ that will accomodate your level of flexibility and have readily available by your mat.
Flex the feet so that the toes are pointed towards the ceiling and maintain this throughout the pose.
Place your hands on the ground to the sides of your hips. You can gently push the hands into the ground to ensure the spine in nice and tall.
Holding the YogaSphereâ„¢ in one hand, inhale the arms overhead.
Continue to lengthen the spine.
As you exhale and bend forward from the hips maintaining a straight spine.
Reach towards the feet leading with the chest.
Loop the YogaSphereâ„¢ around the balls of the feet, keep a grasp with both hands on the front of the Sphere.
Once in position you can use the hands to gently pull you forward and assist you deeper into the pose.
With each inhale try to find a little more length in the spine and with each exhale find a little more depth.
Maintain a straight spine throughout this pose.
Hold this posture for 1-5 minutes.
Pachimottansana
POSH-ee -moh tun AWS ah-nah
