- Category
- Seated
- Level
- advanced
- Hold
- 5 breaths
- Type
- Asana
- Breath
- Inhale to lengthen, exhale to draw legs and chest together
Upward-Facing Forward Fold
Urdhva Mukha Paschimottanasana — "upward-facing intense west stretch"
A seated forward fold turned skyward: balancing on the sitting bones, legs vertical, torso drawn up against them. It combines the full fold's flexibility with Boat Pose's balance — flexibility first, then the balance.
Step by step
- 1Sit with knees bent and hold the outer edges of your feet.
- 2Lean back to balance just behind your sitting bones.
- 3Slowly straighten your legs upward, keeping hold of your feet.
- 4Inhale, lengthen your spine, and draw your chest toward your legs.
- 5Keep your back as flat as your hamstrings allow — legs and torso closing like a book.
- 6Balance and breathe, gaze toward your toes.
- 7Bend your knees to release with control.
Benefits
- ✓ Deeply stretches the hamstrings and entire back body
- ✓ Demands and builds refined core control and balance
- ✓ Merges strength and flexibility in one shape
- ✓ Strengthens the hip flexors through a long range
Make it yours
- · Loop a strap around both feet.
- · Practice the shape lying on your back first (legs drawn toward the torso).
- · Keep a bend in the knees and prioritize the long spine.
Take care
- Keep the knees bent or use a strap if your back rounds hard or your hamstrings feel strained.
- Work on the reclined and seated versions first if balancing here tips you backward repeatedly.
This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.
Props that help here
- Cork blocks (set of 2) — Bring the floor closer in lunges, folds, and triangle — and a block between the shoulder blades turns a backbend into something you can hold. find one
- 8-foot cotton strap — Extends your reach in hamstring and shoulder work — the honest substitute for grabbing a foot you can't yet reach. Get 8ft, not 6ft. find one
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