Asana · Learn with a teacher
Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana
Upward-facing forward fold
Upward-facing forward fold. Rolling up to balance, holding the outer feet, drawing the legs toward the face.
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
- urdhva = upward, mukha = face, paschima = the back of the body, uttana = intense stretch
- Family
- Seated balance
- Level
- Advanced
- Gaze
- Toes
Take care
The roll passes over the neck and shoulders. Learn this with a teacher.
Learn this with a teacher
This page is for reading. The practice itself should be learned in person from someone who teaches it, so there are no practice controls here.
Find a teacherHow it is done
- 1
Breathe out
Lie down, roll the legs overhead and hold the outer edges of the feet.
- 2
Breathe in
Roll up to balance on the sitting bones.
- 3
Breathe out
Draw the legs and chest together. Stay for five breaths.
Holding it
Five breaths.
Making it easier
Bend the knees, or practise Navasana instead.
What the tradition says it does
- Builds balance
- Stretches the hamstrings
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