Asana · Practise on your own

Paschimottanasana A

Seated forward fold A

Seated forward fold, first variation. Folding over straight legs, holding the big toes.

Awaiting subject reviewWritten from our source material and not yet checked by a teacher of this practice. Read it as reference, and learn the practice from someone who teaches it.

Meaning: paschima = west, the back of the body; uttana = intense stretch; asana = seat or posture
Family: Seated forward bend
Level: Beginner
Gaze: Toes

Take care

Fold from the hips, not by rounding the low back. Go gently with a disc injury.

How it is done

1
Breathe in
From Dandasana, reach forward and hook the big toes with the first two fingers. Lift the chest.
2
Breathe out
Fold forward from the hips, chest toward the thighs.
3
Breathe freely
Stay for five breaths. Inhale to lift the head.

Holding it

Five breaths.

Making it easier

Bend the knees, or hold a strap around the feet, and keep the spine long rather than folding deep.

What the tradition says it does

Stretches the hamstrings and the back of the body
Turns the attention inward

As our source describes it. This is not a medical claim.

Variations

Paschimottanasana B
Seated forward fold B
Seated forward fold, second variation. The hands hold the outer edges of the feet.
Forward bend · BeginnerOn your own
Paschimottanasana C
Seated forward fold C
Seated forward fold, third variation. One hand holds the opposite wrist beyond the soles.
Forward bend · IntermediateOn your own

Sources and tradition

YOG Union App Content Map, 2 November 2026, p. 4
Ashtanga Primary Series as commonly taught in the Mysore style; sequence order and counts await subject review

Also known as Seated forward bend, Seated forward fold.

Awaiting subject review · revision 1 · updated 5 November 2026