Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana): fold from the hips, bend the knees

In short: standing forward fold is a forward bend from standing: feet together or hip-width apart, the trunk hinges forward from the hips and hangs over the legs, hands to the floor, blocks or shins. It stretches the whole back of the body, from the heels to the neck. It is not about touching your toes: bend the knees as much as you need so the fold comes from the hips, not the lower back.

Standing forward fold is part of nearly every sun salutation, so most people do it many times in a class, often in a hurry. Below we explain the name and the related names that cause confusion, how to fold well, the precautions and where it fits.

The name, and Padahastasana

The Sanskrit name is Uttānāsana. Light on Yoga explains ut as a particle of intensity and tan as to stretch or lengthen: the spine is given a deliberate, intense stretch. Yoga Journal translates it the same way. In the Ashtanga sun salutation, AshtangaYoga.info labels the full fold Uttanasana A and the half lift Uttanasana B (our half standing forward fold).

Several schools call a standing forward bend Pādahastāsana or Pada Hastasana, “hand to foot pose”. The Bihar School uses that name for position 3 of its 12-position sun salutation, with the hands on the floor beside or in front of the feet; India’s Common Yoga Protocol names its standing forward bend Pada-Hastasana and says it is also referred to as Uttanasana; the Sivananda centres call their standing forward bend Pada Hastasana. In Light on Yoga and Ashtanga, however, Padahastasana is a different pose with the hands slid under the feet: see hands under feet pose.

Making the fold work

The fold happens at the hip joints: the pelvis tilts forward and the spine follows. Tight hamstrings stop the pelvis from tilting, and then the lower back rounds to make up the distance. Yoga Journal’s suggestion is to place a block outside each foot, keep the hands on the thighs as you begin to fold, and bend the knees whenever you feel strain in the hamstrings, lower back or neck. Only straighten the legs as far as the back stays long and the chest open.

Once folded, let the head and neck hang heavy and keep the weight over the balls of the feet rather than the heels. Iyengar’s full version places the palms beside or behind the heels with straight legs and holds for about a minute; in a sun salutation it lasts one exhalation. To come up, bend the knees, put the hands on the hips and rise with a long back, slowly.

Precautions in plain words

Yoga Journal lists lower back injury, hamstring tear, sciatica, and glaucoma or detached retina as contraindications. With these, skip the full fold or use a half fold with the hands on a chair or high blocks and the head above the heart. If you get dizzy or have low blood pressure, come up slowly with bent knees. With a disc problem, Iyengar advises against taking the head toward the knees and suggests learning the concave-back stage with guidance.

Preparation and what comes next

Prepare with cat-cow to feel the pelvis tilt and downward-facing dog with bent knees, as Yoga Journal suggests. In sun salutations it follows upward salute and leads to the half lift or a step back. Deeper variations include big toe pose and hands under feet; mountain pose is the natural counterpose.

Where it is taught

Everywhere: Iyengar, Ashtanga and vinyasa sun salutations, the Sivananda 12 basic asanas (as Pada Hastasana) and most hatha classes. See our sun salutation guide.