The Prasarita Padottanasana (Forward Bend with Wide Legs) is a yoga pose that reduces tension, stiffness, and tiredness in your hamstrings. Additionally, this yoga pose works out your lower back and your neck muscles, which is good for your overall posture (but only if you keep your back straight during the exercise). Find more yoga exercises at Yoga Main.
Execution
Just like most yoga exercises, the Prasarita Padottanasana is started from the Tadasana (mountain pose). See the mountain pose lesson.
Make a hop and separate your feet approximately 2 shoulder widths. Toes point slightly inward. The knees have to stay extended during the whole exercise.
Bend forward slowly and reach for the floor with your hands (fingers point straight forward). It is essential that you keep your upper body straight, and if you are able to touch the ground with your hands, your arms should be vertical (the weight should not rest on your hands). If you cannot touch the ground, just separate your legs a bit further and go as far as you can (but don't bounce or arch your back; keep in mind that gravity should do most of the stretch).
Push your hips up and stretch your neck toward the floor.
Once you can do this easily, you can grab your calves with your hands and pull your upper body closer to your legs. This way you can stretch even further. But don't pull too hard or bounce.
Advice
Go down with the weight of your upper body. You can slightly pull your upper body toward the legs with the help of your arms, but bouncing, headbanging, and pulling really, really hard with your arms is not what this exercise is made for.
The farther your feet are apart, the easier the exercise. To intensify the yoga Prasarita Padottanasana pose, you can close your feet a bit more.
Suggestions
Tadasana - Yoga Mountain Pose
Virabhadrasana 1 - Yoga Warrior Pose 1
Videos/Images
None
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