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chin towards the chest, then bending the upper trunk, relaxing the shoulders forward and letting the arms go limp. Bend the mid-trunk and finally the lower trunk. While bending forward, imagine that the body has no bones or muscles. Do not strain or force the body. Place the fingers underneath the toes or bring the palms to the floor beside the feet. If this is not possible, bring the fingertips as near to the floor as possible. Relax the back of the neck and try to bring the forehead to the knees. In the final position the body is bent forward with the knees straight and the forehead touching the knees. Hold the position, relaxing the whole back. Slowly return to the starting position in the reverse order. This completes one round. Relax in the upright position before continuing the next
round. Breathing: Inhale in the starting position.
Exhale while bending forward. Breathe slowly and deeply in the final position.
Inhale while returning to the starting position. Duration: Practise up to 5 rounds, gradually increasing the
time for which the posture is held and decreasing the
number of rounds, or practise one round for 3 to 5 minutes. Awareness: Physical - on the movement, relaxation of the back
muscles or the breath.
Spiritual - on swadhisthana chakra. Sequence: This asana may be practised before or after backward
bending asanas and may be used as a preliminary to other
forward bending poses to encourage maximum flexibility. Contra-indications: This asana should not be practised by
people suffering from serious back complaints, sciatica,
heart disease, high blood pressure or abdominal hernia. Benefits: This asana massages and tones the digestive organs,
alleviates flatulence, constipation and indigestion. All the spinal nerves are stimulated and toned. Inverting the trunk increases the blood flow to the brain and improves circulation to the pituitary and thyroid glands. Other benefits
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