Learn to work the legs, pelvis and trunk on Uttanasana

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In Uttanasana - Standing Forward Fold or Forward Bend, while we are intensely forward stretching the upper body and the hamstrings muscles, we are also calming the mind (the head is hanging below the heart allowing fresh oxygen-blood to flow to our brain) and rejuvenating the body.
Uttanasana is also an essential element of Sun Salutations and helps us to connect the breath and other asanas and also prepares the body for deeper forward bends. So in order to master this pose, specially challenging when we have tight hamstrings, there are several variations we can do in order to work and improve the flexibility in the legs and pelvis.




  1. Fold the chair and lean the backcrest against the front groins, making sure both groins rest evenly on the chair. You can adjust the height by moving the chair into the desire angle.
  2. Keep the feet hip distance apart or the distance of the legs of the chair. Inhale.
  3. On exhale and hinging from the hips, bend forward, holding the legs of the chair, concave the back and look forward.
  4. On exhale bend over into the pose, resting the forehead on the chair. If you have space for it, bend the elbows to the outside and not inward.

  • On this variation the legs become stable and taller and at the same time the trunk becomes soft and flowing because of the support of the chair.
  • The backrest of the chair against the front groins, creates space in the pelvic region because allows the pelvis to be stable, square and prevents it from tilting, keeping at the same time the groins high.




  1. Place two blocks against a wall lengthwise and hip distance apart in order to ensure that both of the feet are going to be at the same distance from the wall.
  2. Lean back until you feel the contact of the buttocks with the wall. Bend forward and remove the flesh of the buttocks to the sides and up until you feel the sitting bones touching and pressing against the wall. Both buttocks should be at the same height and equally pushing and pressing the wall.

  3. Allow the fingertips to touch the mat and on inhale extend forward. If the fingertips don't touch the floor use two blocks for support.
  4. On exhale, bend forward releasing the back towards the mat.
  5. You can hold the ankles, using the arms in order to extend the upper body further down and moving it towards the legs.
  • On this variation you are assured that the symmetry and alignment are not compromised.
  • The heels against the blocks on the wall allow a stretch from the ankles to the sitting bones.


If you want to strengthen and increase the action on the thighs, remove the blocks and put the back legs against the wall.
  1. You repeat the same steps, tightening the front thighs and pushing back so that you leave no gap between the wall and the back part of the legs.
  2. This is a challenging variation, specially because you have the tendency to roll forward, so in order to prevent that, you need to tighten and press the front thighs strongly back (into the wall), if you still roll forward, support the hands with blocks.



You can do this variation standing over two blocks or over a chair.
  1. Position yourself in a way you don't have the toes curling over the round edge of the chair or the blocks.
  2. Inhale elongate the body up by pulling the navel toward the spine and on exhale, bending forward from the hips if you are doing on:
  • On a chair - grasp the legs of the chair or if you prefer the seat of the chair, pulling the upper body down and bending the elbows to the outside.
  • On the blocks - grasp the ankles and pull the trunk down with the elbows bending to the outside.

  • Releasing the toes allows to release the muscles of the lower back.
  • Also this two variations helps to activate the legs and makes the bones denser.
  • They also allow us to progress in this asana bending more and going further down, creating an elongation of the body.

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