 (are-dah
oot-tan-AHS-anna)
ardha = half
uttana = intense stretch
Step by Step
From Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), press your
palms or fingertips into the floor (or blocks on the
floor) beside your feet. With an inhale, straighten
your elbows and arch your torso away from your thighs,
finding as much length between your pubic bone and
navel as possible.
With your palms (or fingertips) push down and back
against the floor, and lift the top of your sternum
up (away from the floor) and forward. You might bend
your knees slightly to help get this movement, which
will arch the back.
Look forward, but be careful not to compress the
back of your neck. Hold the arched-back position for
a few breaths. Then, with an exhale, release your
torso into full Uttanasana.
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