- Category
- Seated
- Level
- intermediate
- Hold
- 5–10 breaths, or 1–3 minutes supported
- Type
- Asana
- Breath
- Inhale to lengthen, exhale to fold
Wide-Angle Seated Forward Fold
Upavistha Konasana — "seated wide-angle posture"
Also known as: Seated Straddle Fold
Legs wide, torso folding forward between them. Range here varies enormously between bodies — an upright spine with legs wide is already the pose; the floor is optional.
Step by step
- 1Sit and open your legs wide to a comfortable straddle, kneecaps and toes pointing straight up.
- 2Sit tall on your sitting bones — use a blanket under your hips if your back rounds.
- 3Press out through your heels and keep both legs active.
- 4Inhale and lengthen your spine; walk your hands forward on the floor.
- 5Exhale and hinge forward from your hips, keeping your chest broad.
- 6Stop where your spine starts to round, and breathe there.
- 7Walk your hands back in to come up.
Benefits
- ✓ Stretches the inner thighs, hamstrings, and groins
- ✓ Opens the hips in a different plane than cross-legged shapes
- ✓ Teaches folding with a long spine under a strong stretch
- ✓ Settles the mind during longer holds
Make it yours
- · Sit on the edge of a folded blanket to tilt the pelvis forward.
- · Rest your forearms on a bolster or stack of cushions in front of you.
- · Keep a generous bend in the knees, with rolled blankets underneath them.
Take care
- Narrow the straddle and bend your knees if you feel strain behind the knees or in the inner thighs.
- Come out gently if you feel any pulling in your lower back.
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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