Category: Standing
Level: beginner
Hold: 5–10 breaths
Type: Asana
Breath: Inhale to lengthen, exhale to fold deeper.

Wide-Legged Forward Fold

Prasarita Padottanasana — "spread-out feet intense stretch posture"

Feet wide, fold down the middle. This straight-legged fold stretches the hamstrings and inner thighs and is gentler on the lower back than a narrow fold.

Step by step

1Step your feet wide apart, about one leg's length, outer edges parallel.
2Place your hands on your hips and inhale to lift your chest.
3Exhale and hinge at your hips, folding your torso toward the floor.
4Bring your hands to the floor or blocks under your shoulders.
5Walk the hands back in line with the feet and bend the elbows straight back if you can fold deeper.
6Shift weight slightly toward the balls of the feet, keeping the hips over the ankles.
7Let the crown of your head release toward the floor.
8To come out, hands to hips, long spine, inhale to rise.

Benefits

✓ Stretches the hamstrings and inner thighs
✓ Lengthens the spine and releases the neck
✓ Calms the nervous system
✓ Prepares the legs and hips for wider standing poses

Make it yours

· Rest your hands or head on blocks to bring the floor closer.
· Keep a soft bend in the knees to ease the hamstrings.
· Rest your head on a chair seat for a supported hold.

Take care

Rise slowly, or keep the head above the heart, if you have low blood pressure or get dizzy.
Bend the knees and shorten the stance if you have a hamstring strain.

This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.

Practiced in

Props that help here

Manduka PRO — The buy-it-once option — dense, stable, famously durable. Heavy, so it lives at home, which is where practice happens anyway. find one
Liforme Original — The grippiest mat we've used, with alignment markers that genuinely help beginners place hands and feet. Priciest of the three. find one

Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no cost to you. All gear recommendations