How to Do a Forward Bend in Hatha Yoga

Video Transcript

CINDY MASTRY: Namaste. Forward bends are very calming for the nervous system. They help you reduce stress. They can get rid of headaches. And they've been known to lower your blood pressure. They allow you to bring up some creative, intuitive energy. And they allow you to get pass some past experiences, past relationships. So I'm just going to demonstrate a normal forward bend. There's lots of forward bends. Probably one of the most common is Paschimottanasana, the regular seated forward bend. So you're going to sit up nice and tall and lengthen through the spine. Remember, we're always trying to find length through the spine. So you're going to inhale in. And as you exhale, you're just going to come forward. And you're only going to come forward in forward bends to the point where you can keep your back lengthened. Once you start to round, you have lost the energy flow. So you want to lengthen through the spine. Tight hamstrings can make it so it's hard to bend forward. Also low back pain can be due to your tight hamstrings. So anytime you're going to do a forward bend and you have particularly tight hamstrings, you might just want to lift your knees up a little so then you can forward bend. Remember, you're trying to bring your chest out closer towards your shins and lay your lower ribs right on your thighs. It's not about how low you can go, it's about how much can you lengthen your spine. And then you use your breath, inhale to lengthen and exhale to lower down. Good, so forward bends are all about lengthening your spine. They're about calming the nervous system and helping with low back pain for that tight hamstrings.