Asana · Practise on your own
Paschimottanasana C
Seated forward fold C
Seated forward fold, third variation. One hand holds the opposite wrist beyond the soles.
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
- Intermediate
- Gaze
- Toes
Take care
Do not pull yourself forward with the arms. Go gently with a disc injury.
How it is done
- 1
Breathe in
Reach past the feet and take hold of one wrist with the other hand. Lift the chest.
- 2
Breathe out
Fold forward. Stay for five breaths.
Holding it
Five breaths.
Making it easier
Use the A or B grip until the bind comes without strain.
What the tradition says it does
- Stretches the hamstrings and the back of the body
A note on the tradition
Some lineages teach four forms of this fold, lettered A to D. The manual names three.
Variations
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