Asana · Practise on your own
Prasarita Padottanasana C
Wide-legged forward fold C
Wide-legged forward fold, third variation. Fingers interlaced behind the back, the arms drawn over the head.
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
- prasarita = spread wide, pada = foot, uttana = intense stretch, asana = seat or posture
- Family
- Standing forward bend
- Level
- Intermediate
- Gaze
- Nose
Take care
Go gently with shoulder injuries. Avoid with high blood pressure, glaucoma or a recent back injury.
How it is done
- 1
Breathe in
With the feet wide, open the arms out to the sides.
- 2
Breathe out
Interlace the fingers behind the back and open the chest.
- 3
Breathe in
Lift the chest.
- 4
Breathe out
Fold forward and let the arms move over the head toward the floor. Stay for five breaths, then come up.
Holding it
Five breaths.
Making it easier
Hold a strap between the hands, and keep the arms only as far over as is comfortable.
What the tradition says it does
- Stretches the hamstrings
- Opens the front of the shoulders
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