Paschimottanâsana or pincer pose

Rishikesh series

Paschimottanasana or book pose

Sit with your legs stretched put your hands outwards to support the ischiums well, put your feet together

Variation for beginners, bend your knees and whatever you need, resting your feet on your heels, interlace the thumbs stretching the arms upwards

Take a breath, as you release, flex your hips looking to brace your feet

Lengthen the spine from the base, neck, to the crown of the head, projecting forward and slightly upward

The abdomen relaxes and the breath flows

With each exhalation, the hamstrings and calf muscles are gaining flexibility

Little by little the hips give way and you can go stretching your knees looking to go deeper into your posture

Paschimottanasana has two phases, an initial one with the back stretched out

and a second one with the back rounded forward

To exit you raise your arms again holding your thumbs

and open

Advanced variation interlace the fingers of the hands behind, stretch the elbows and inhale, exhaling bend forward again

Becoming more conscious this time of the hip flexion

Growing from coccyx and sacrum vertebra by vertebra

Undo welding the arms and resting the hands on the sides of the pelvis in dandasana, neutral and active relaxation posture