Asana · Practise on your own
Prasarita Padottanasana D
Wide-legged forward fold D
Wide-legged forward fold, fourth variation. The fingers hook the big toes, as in Padangusthasana.
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
- Beginner
- Gaze
- Nose
Take care
Avoid with high blood pressure, glaucoma or a recent back injury. Come up slowly.
How it is done
- 1
Breathe in
With the feet wide, bring the hands to the hips and lift the chest.
- 2
Breathe out
Fold forward and hook the big toes with the first two fingers.
- 3
Breathe in
Lift the head and straighten the arms.
- 4
Breathe out
Fold, elbows wide, crown toward the floor. Stay for five breaths, then come up.
Holding it
Five breaths.
Making it easier
Bend the knees to reach the toes, or hold the shins.
What the tradition says it does
- Stretches the hamstrings and inner thighs
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