The one easy yoga pose to have you feeling Zen
If life’s stresses have managed to get a hold of you and making you feel like a lion trapped in a too-small cage, there’s one simple yoga move you can do at-home to calm the mind and rejuvenate the whole body.
The Forward Fold, also known as Uttanasana, is good for relieving stress, headaches, anxiety, fatigue, mild depression and insomnia. On top of this, it is also “a great pose to bring blood circulating to the head and face, and with regular practice, should have a beautifying effect,” according to Ballet Sculpt founder and yoga teacher Cat Woods.
If you’re still not sold, this little manoeuvre has further health benefits - practicing this pose can help stimulate the liver and kidneys and improve digestion. It is also known to be therapeutic for asthma, sinusitis, high blood pressure, infertility and osteoporosis.
So how does one simple yoga move manage to do all of these things? Dropping your head below your heart calms your brain. By opening the hips, Forward Fold can relieve tension in the neck and shoulders, while the stretch also works to ease the load on the spine, balance the hormonal system, stretch hamstrings, and lengthen the lower back.
As well as having more benefits than you can poke a stick at, Forward Fold requires no equipment and is incredibly easy to perform. “It basically involves standing with feet hip distance apart and folding forward from the hips. The neck is able to extend, and the shoulders flop,” advises Cat.
To do the pose, let the crown of your head hang down to your knees, keep your torso long and press your heels into the floor. For those that are more flexible, keep your legs straight and put the palms of your hands on the floor. To modify the pose, bend your knees without locking them before placing your palms on the ground. Hold the pose for up to one minute.
Have you ever tried the Forward Fold pose? What one yoga move do you do to feel Zen?
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108 Member Comments
Sounds nice and relaxing too and good for your posture
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My forward fold looks more like an upside down L atm.
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Love the forward fold. Easy to do and feels relaxing
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Love the forward fold. Easy to do and feels relaxing
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I've never done that stretch before! Wow!@!
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I've never done yoga, I'm not flexible anymore LOL I can't even touch my toes anymore! Maybe I need to start doing it!
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I need to take care of myself and de stress, yoga is perfect, I just need to start again! Stop thinking about it and just start. It doesn't sound that hard but I just never make the time.
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I love the forward fold - a great stress reliever, and anti ageing pose.
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I wish I was more flexible. I can see myself face planting while trying this one out unfortunetly.
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I need to get back into yoga.
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Looking forward to getting back into yoga once bubs is settled into a routine
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I love yoga and stopped when I was pregnant. I need to get back into it again
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This looks great but I can imagine it would be fairly easy to topple over unless you were reasonably stable on your feet. That doesn't mean I don't think it's a good idea, just not particularly easy.
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It sounds like a great pose.
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Seated Meditation is the best one for me ;-) No headaches, no blood rush to the head making me fall over, and it's calm when you breathe.
I used to be able to do the Forward Fold with ease...25 years ago ;-)
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I actually do this as soon as I get up of a morning!
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Very good for your posture and balance
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Im not sure if this would be good for me as my back is quite bad.
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Definitely going to try this tonight, I love the child pose.
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I definitely need to get back into yoga!!
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Awesome - if one pose can do all of that, I'm in! Sounds amazing. I've not done much yoga but would be keen to get into it a little bit more.
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The more that you practice this pose, the better you get at it. Try cupping your elbows with your hands when you are in this pose to totally relax your shoulders. Remember to relax your neck & let your head hang freely.
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