Original Yoga by Richard Rosen

Author:Richard Rosen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala Publications

Fig. 17. Intense-Stretch-of-the-West Pose (pashchima uttanasana).

INTENSE-STRETCH-OF-THE-WEST POSE (PASHCHIMA UTTANASANA)

PASHCHIMA • last, final; West

UD • intense

TAN • extend, stretch

Intense-Stretch-of-the-West Pose (pashchima uttanasana; hereafter referred to as West) is the familiar sitting forward bend. Nothing much has changed about it for more than five hundred years. In his asana chapter, Gheranda describes this pose in four easy steps: sit on the floor, stretch your legs out like sticks (dandas), hold your feet with your hands, and put your forehead on your shins. We’ll practice with a little more attention to detail.

Practice

There’s no secret to the performance of West. Sit on the floor or a support of an appropriate height, and stretch your legs out through your heels. Press your hands against the floor beside your hips and lift your chest in Staff Pose. I’ll describe two ways of moving into West: the first is for stiffer, beginning students, who will need to use a yoga strap, and the second is for more experienced, flexible students, for whom the strap is optional.

Whether you’re using the strap or holding your feet, it’s important to come down into the forward bend from your groins, not your belly. Remember first of all that if you’re using the strap, your feet aren’t the goal in this pose.

Never force yourself into a forward bend, especially when sitting on the floor. Coming forward, as soon as you feel the length between your pubis and navel shortening, stop, lift up slightly, and lengthen the space again. Often, because of tightness in the backs of the legs, a beginner’s forward bend doesn’t go very far forward and might look more like a “sitting-up-straight” pose.

Practice 1: For Beginners

Sit on a support of an appropriate height in Staff and wrap a strap around your soles. Hold the strap firmly in both hands, with your arms long and your torso upright (perpendicular to the floor). When you’re ready to bring the torso forward, slacken your grip on the strap and, with an exhalation, walk your hands lightly along the strap for a few inches. Stop, grip the strap again, inhale, and lift your chest. Now exhale, slacken your grip again, and walk your hands lightly along the strap for a few more inches. Continue in this fashion until you either (1) start to bend forward from your belly—at which point stop, back off the strap a few inches, and lift your chest to lengthen your front torso—or (2) are comfortably able to hold the sides of your feet.

Practice 2: For Intermediates

If you’re more flexible and can lean forward from the groins with a long front spine, then you can hold the sides of your feet. If you’re less flexible though, please use a strap to wrap around your soles, and start with your torso upright and arms straight and proceed according to the instructions for Practice 1.

Traditional Benefit

Oddly, Gheranda has nothing to say about the benefits of West, but Svatmarama waxes eloquent. He calls West the “foremost” or “best” (agrya) among the asanas. He

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