Prasarita Padottanasana A B C D:  Cues and Modifications

Prasarita Padottanasana A B C D is a wide-legged standing forward bend. Prasarita Padottanasana is pronounced "pra-sa-REE-tah pah-doh-tahn-AHS-anna." It comes to us from the __ lineage of yoga. In Sanskrit, prasarita means "stretched out, spread or expanded."  Pada means foot in Sanskrit.  Ut is intense in Sanskrit, and tan is "to extend or to stretch."  Together, Prasita Padottanasana can be literally translated as expanded pose of intense stretch to foot.  In English, we generally call it wide-legged standing forward fold.

While the pose is not found in ancient hatha yoga texts, we know that Krishnamacharya taught it in the 20th century in Yoga Makaranda and Yogasanagalu.  His students, K. Pattabhi Jois and BKS Iyengar also taught it.  

Prasarita Padottanasana is a favorite yoga pose for many people.  It's a great way to open up the backs of the legs while bringing deep relaxation to the body.  It has many variations and there are ways that the posture can be modified to make it more accessible.  The posture serves as an inversion with the head lower than the heart. 

Many people substitute headstand with Prasarita Padottanasana.  You get the same benefits in this wide-legged forward fold that you get in headstand of having the blood flowing to the brain.  It can also be an introductory pose for headstand.  As we invert our posture and the torso drapes against the joints, we are improving the functions of internal organs and aiding digestion.  Forward folds are connected to relieving anxiety, depression and stress.

For some people, the head makes contact with the earth in this wide-legged forward fold.  When that happens, the pressure of the crown of the head against the earth can relieve achy neck, shoulders and back physically.  It can be stress relieving because there's something about this that feels energetically as if we can stop the chatter of the mind momentarily, bringing us into the joy of the present moment.  It also helps to relieve headaches.

The symmetrical shape of Prasarita Padottanasana keeps the pelvis, sacroiliac joint (SI Joint) and spine neutral.  As you press down through the feet to activate the legs, the upper body is able to soften and receive.

Benefits of Prasarita Padottanasana ABCD:

• Stretches hamstrings
• Stretches calves
• Stretches and opens hips
• Stretches glutes
• Stretches low back
• Strengthens feet
• Strengthens ankles
• Strengthens legs
• Increases low back awareness
• Improves joint flexibility
• Improves hip flexibility
• Provides low back protection 
• Counters effects of prolonged sitting
• Calms mind
• Creates length in the spine
• Improves posture
• Provides rest for the heart
• Relieves anxiety
• Relaxes the nervous system
• Eases tension headaches
• Reduces symptoms of premenstrual syndrome
• How to Practice Prasarita Padottanasana A B C D 

Contraindications of Prasarita Padottanasana ABCD:

• Disc herniation (keep the spine parallel to the floor with back concaved and palms on blocks)
• Spinal injury (avoid due to lengthening of spine)
• Heart conditions / previous heart surgery (avoid due to inverted nature)
• High blood pressure (use chair and keep spine parallel to floor so as not to have the head low)
• Vertigo (use chair and keep spine parallel to floor so as not to have the head low)
• Migraine (use chair and keep spine parallel to floor so as not to have the head low)
• Glaucoma (use chair and keep spine parallel to floor so as not to have the head low)
• Detached retina (use chair and keep spine parallel to floor so as not to have the head low)
• Shoulder injury (use chair and keep spine parallel to floor so as not to have the head low)
• Neck injury (use chair and keep spine parallel to floor so as not to have the head low)

How to Practice Prasarita Padottanasana A B C D

There are four variations of Prasarita Padottanasana ABCD and we will review all of them. 

Prasarita Padottanasana A (Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold A)

Stand facing the long edge of the mat with the feet 3-4 feet apart

Root down through all four corners of the feet and imagine that you could lift both the inner and outer arches.  This should activate the legs

Inhale to find length through the crown of the head as you bring the hands onto the hips 

As you exhale, begin to hinge at the hips and fold forward, leading with the chest.

Pause halfway and bring the hands onto the floor or a pair of blocks.  Take an inhale as you find spinal length

On the exhale, continue moving into your fold

Bring the hands flat on the earth or a pair of blocks, fingers pointing in the same direction as the toes

Bring the fingers in line with the toes and bend the elbows as you would in Chaturanga Dandasana

Energetically push the ground away

To come out of the pose, lift halfway on an inhale as you bring the hands to the hips and rise on the exhale

Prasarita Padottanasana B (Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold B)

Stand facing the long edge of the mat with the feet 3-4 feet apart

Root down through all four corners of the feet and imagine that you could lift both the inner and outer arches.  This should activate the legs

Inhale to find length through the crown of the head as you bring the hands onto the hips and let the elbows point behind you

As you exhale, begin to hinge at the hips and fold forward, leading with the chest.  Keep the hands where they are

Stop halfway down and gaze out as you inhale, and then on the exhale fold completely

In this version B, you are relying on your back and core muscles.  Keep them engaged to go deeper into the fold

When you're ready to come out of the pose, lift halfway and pause before slowly rising to stand

Prasarita Padottanasana C (Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold C)

Stand facing the long edge of the mat with the feet 3-4 feet apart

Root down through all four corners of the feet and imagine that you could lift both the inner and outer arches.  This should activate the legs

Reach both arms out to the sides on an inhale.  As you exhale reach the arms behind the back and clasp the hands.  On the next inhale, straighten the arms and find length through the crown of the head 

As you exhale, begin to hinge at the hips and fold forward, leading with the chest and keeping what you have in the arms

Stop halfway down and gaze out as you inhale, and then on the exhale fold completely

You can allow the arms to get a little heavy and lower towards the earth, but keep the shoulders lifted moving towards the hips and away from the ears

In this version C of Prasarita Padottanasana, we get a nice opening for the chest, shoulders and muscles along the shoulder blades.  If you are feeling tight in this area, you can use a strap 

When you're ready to come out of the pose, lift halfway and pause before slowly rising to stand

Prasarita Padottanasana D (Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold D)

Stand facing the long edge of the mat with the feet 3-4 feet apart

Root down through all four corners of the feet and imagine that you could lift both the inner and outer arches.  This should activate the legs

Inhale to find length through the crown of the head as you bring the hands onto the hips 

As you exhale, begin to hinge at the hips and fold forward, leading with the chest.

Pause halfway and bring the hands onto the floor.  Take an inhale as you find spinal length

On the exhale, continue moving into your fold

Wrap the hands on the outer ankles or shins and feel free to stop here

Inhale for length and exhale to deepen the fold

If you have the space, you can take the big toes in yogi toe lock

Pull up on the toes energetically to help you move deeper into the fold

To come out of the pose, lift halfway on an inhale as you bring the hands to the hips and rise on the exhale

Modifications for Prasarita Padottanasana ABCD

There are quite a few accessibility options for wide-legged standing forward fold.  It's all about finding the variation that works best for you and suits the needs of your body and your practice.  Forward folds should happen from the hip joint. When we forward fold, the movement should be about 65-70% from the hip joint and 30-35% spinal movement.  Sometimes the back body and especially hamstrings are tight which makes it challenging for the hip joint to find this range of motion.  When the pelvis shifts down and forward around the femur heads, we reach a space where hip joint movement stops.  Without body awareness to realize that we've come to our edge, we are more likely to overcompensate by forcing the forward fold from the spine. This can lead to pain in the lower back.

This is one of the reasons why choosing accessibility options that make sense for your body is so important.

Prasarita Padottanasana Modification With Blocks

Stand facing the long edge of the mat with the feet 3-4 feet apart

Root down through all four corners of the feet and imagine that you could lift both the inner and outer arches.  This should activate the legs

Inhale to find length through the crown of the head as you bring the hands onto the hips 

As you exhale, begin to hinge at the hips and fold forward, leading with the chest.

Pause halfway and bring the hands onto a pair of blocks.  Take an inhale as you find spinal length

On the exhale, continue moving into your fold

Bring the blocks in line with the toes and rest the hands flat on the blocks, choosing the level that makes sense for you.  Point the fingers in the same direction as the toes

Bring the fingers in line with the toes and bend the elbows as you would in Chaturanga Dandasana

Energetically push the ground away

To come out of the pose, lift halfway on an inhale as you bring the hands to the hips and rise on the exhale

Prasarita Padottanasana Modification With Chair

Stand facing the long edge of the mat with the feet 3-4 feet apart

Bring a chair about a foot in front of you, centered with the body

Root down through all four corners of the feet and imagine that you could lift both the inner and outer arches.  This should activate the legs

Inhale to find length through the crown of the head as you bring the hands onto the hips 

As you exhale, begin to hinge at the hips and fold forward, leading with the chest.

Pause halfway and bring the hands and forearms onto the chair.  Take an inhale as you find spinal length

To come out of the pose, bring the hands to the hips and rise on the exhale

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