Asana of the Week - Uttanasana

Forward bends, both seated and standing, can be problematic when you have back conditions, especially scoliosis. Rather than bringing length into the back they can cause compression on the side to which the scoliosis curves and tight hamstrings can just exacerbate the problem. It is usually recommended that standing forward bends be done against the wall for most people with scoliosis, but there is a way of getting a great lower back stretch from a standing forward bend without having to go to the wall.

Stand with the big toe joints together (or a fist width apart if that feels unbalanced) and feel the weight evenly through the soles of both feet.

Inhale, lifting the arms forward and up alongside the ears, lifting the waist out of the hips and the neck out of the shoulders - feel the length is even in both sides of the body/ribcage.

As you exhale, bend the knees a lot (we're concentrating on backs here, not hamstrings - we'll talk about them next week!), stretching forward with the arms, keeping the length in the body as you release abdomen on to the thighs then release the head and neck. Feel the stretch in the lower back. You may feel that the two sides of the back are uneven so stay in position for a breath or too to even out the length.

To come up, inhale and stretch the arms forward again to maintain the length in the sides of the body. Only start to straighten the knees half way through the inhale -- stretching the fingertips up to the ceiling again.

Exhale the arms down by the sides concentrating on maintaining that length.

Repeat 3-5 times to get a really good stretch in the lower back.

And enjoy each breath.

Namaste