Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Upavisha-konasana.jpg/220px-Upavisha-konasana.jpg)
Upaviṣṭa Koṇāsana (Sanskrit उपविष्टकोणासन), also written Upavistha Konasana or "wide-angle seated forward bend"[1][2] is an asana in modern yoga as exercise, sitting upright with the legs as wide apart as possible, grasping the toes and leaning forward.[3]
Etymology and origins
The name of the pose is from the Sanskrit उपविष्ट (upaviṣṭa) meaning "open", कोण (koṇa) meaning "angle", and आस (āsana), meaning "seat" or "pose".[3]
The pose is not found in medieval hatha yoga, but is described in the 1966 Light on Yoga.[4] It is independently described under a different name, Hastapadasana ("Hand-to-Foot Pose"[a]) in Swami Vishnudevananda's 1960 Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, suggesting an older origin.[5]
Description
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Mr-yoga-seated-angle-pose.jpg/220px-Mr-yoga-seated-angle-pose.jpg)
The pose may be entered from dandasana (staff pose) by moving the legs apart as far as possible. The big toes may then be grasped with the hands, or with a belt around each foot. The back is lightly arched by raising the coccyx, and the body is inclined forwards.[6][3][4][2] In the completed pose, the body leans forwards until the chin and nose touch the ground.[3] People who cannot sit on the floor in dandasana can sit on a folded blanket for the pose.[1]
A variation is to lean forward and to place the hands, palms up, on the ground in front of the body.[1]
Claimed benefits
The pose provides a stretch for the hamstrings,[4] and is stated without evidence in Light on Yoga to assist the circulation in the pelvic region and to relieve sciatica.[4] The pose is stated, again without evidence, to be useful for "gynaecological problems",[3] and safe in both menstruation and pregnancy provided no strain is applied.[3] However, the founder of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, K. Pattabhi Jois, states that it should not be performed in pregnancy, though agreeing on its benefit for the sciatic nerve.[7]
See also
Notes
- ^ Hastapadasana is otherwise a synonym of the standing Forward Bend, uttanasana.
References
- ^ a b c Rosen, Richard (28 August 2007). "Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend". Yoga Journal. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ a b "Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend - Upavishta Konasana". Ekhart Yoga. 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Mehta, 1990 p. 65
- ^ a b c d Iyengar, 1979, pp. 163–165
- ^ Sjoman, Norman E. (1999) [1996]. The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace (2nd ed.). Abhinav Publications. p. 88. ISBN 81-7017-389-2.
- ^ Botur, Amanda. "Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend • Upavistha Konasana". Yoga Today. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- ^ Jois, K. Pattabhi (2010). Yoga Mala: The Seminal Treatise and Guide from the Living Master of Ashtanga Yoga. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-4299-6506-4.
Sources
- Iyengar, B. K. S. (1979). Light on Yoga. Unwin Paperbacks.
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- Mehta, Silva; Mehta, Mira; Mehta, Shyam (1990). Yoga: The Iyengar Way. Dorling Kindersley.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Murugan, Chillayah (20 October 2012). "Yoga Asanas for Health and Fitness". Silambam. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- Swami Satyananda Saraswati (1996). Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha (PDF). Yoga Publications Trust. ISBN 978-81-86336-14-4.