Lower back and hips

Prasarita: Classic

A deep stretch for your back and the backs of your legs, from a wide and steady base that makes folding feel safe.

How to do it

1. 1

   Step your feet wide apart with toes pointing forward

   Outer edges of the feet roughly parallel, weight even between the heels and the balls of the feet.

2. 2

   Lengthen your spine, then hinge from the hips

   Lead with the chest so the fold happens at the hips rather than by rounding down from the top.

3. 3

   Bring your hands to the floor or to blocks

   Knees stay soft throughout. Blocks keep the fold shallower, and a narrower stance makes the whole thing milder.

4. 4

   Let the head hang and the legs lengthen

   Go to a depth you could hold comfortably rather than the deepest one available to you.

5. 5

   Hold 30 to 60 seconds, then rise slowly

   Bring the hands to the hips, keep the back long, and come up steadily.

What to watch for

The demanding moment here is coming back up, not the fold itself. Rise slowly with a long spine and soft knees, and never spring up from the bottom.

Ways to adjust it

• Soft knees
• Hands on blocks
• Slow rise with a long spine: the demanding moment is returning to standing, not the fold itself
• Narrow the stance
• Don't fold to full depth

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Prasarita: Chair Support

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Wide-Legged Forward Fold versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

• Prasarita: Chair Support
• Prasarita: Hands on Blocks

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.