Names
Upavistha Konasana, Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend
How to perform Upavistha Konasana
Sit in Dandasana with your legs and spine straight. Spread your legs apart as wide until you feel a light stretch in your upper inner thighs. Bend forward with exhalation as much as possible. The aim is to place your upper body flat on the floor with the chin on the floor.
Benefits of Upavistha Konasana
When you perform the wide seated forward bend, you will immediately feel where this yoga pose works: at the inner side as well as the back of your legs. The leg and thigh muscles as well as the hamstrings are being stretched.
Through the pressure on your belly, your intestines get a nice massage which stimulates your digestion.
Energetically, this yoga posture stimulates the second chakra, the Swadhishthan Chakra and thus stimulates sexuality energy.
Focus Points
In order to get the best effect of this exercise, you should keep your knees straight at all times and also try to keep your spine as straight as possible.
Tips and Help
In order to support your hips during this exercise, you can place a cushion or a rolled blanket under your buttocks.
If you have problems in bending forward, you can bring your legs closer together in beginning and then bend forward. After some practice however you should then try to open them wider again.
In your first attempts, you can place your hand on the floor and slowly move them further to the front, like walking on the floor.
If you want to feel some more stretch, you can grab your toes and pull yourself down.
Upavistha Konasana with a Partner
This yoga posture can nicely be practiced with a partner. Practicing it together makes it easier to go down with the upper body.
Sit in front of each other, spread the legs wide and let your feet touch each other with the soles. Now you hold your partner’s hands and pull him towards you until he tells you to stop. Hold him in this position and then slowly let him come up again. Then it is his turn to pull you down towards him.