Student Essays Teacher Training 2009 author Tanya

An exploration of why forward bends are

important for my practice

The aim of this essay is to look in detail at the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of forward bends.  While there are many types of forward bends, my focus for this essay will be Paschimottanasana.  As noted by Barbara Benagh in her article Asana column: Paschimottanasana, the simplicity and symmetry of Paschimottanasana makes it an ideal asana in which to examine the ebb and flow of the mind.

Physical aspects of Paschimottanasana

In Paschimottanasana, the muscles of the lower spine, pelvis and legs are being stretched.  Also, the upper back, kidneys and adrenal glands are stretched and stimulated which is useful for people who have respiratory or kidney problems and for those who suffer from adrenal exhaustion. (Reference - Yoga Journal Article: Barbara Benagh, Asana Column: Paschimottanasana)

The big obvious physical hurdle in this asana is the flexibility of the hamstrings.  Where there is a lot of tightness in the hamstrings, hip flexion will be restricted and the hip flexor and abdominal muscles will tend to contract to pull the body forward into this pose.  This will in turn create a sense of congestion in the hip joints which is not what the pose is aimed at achieving.  (Reference - Leslie Kaminoff, Yoga Anatomy, pg. 83).  Tight hamstrings will also interfere with the ability of the spine to lengthen as they will cause the pelvis to tuck (hip extension) and therefore the lower back to curve or round.  When the lower backed is curved during Paschimottanasana, there is pressure being exterted on the disks between the vertebrae, creating the perfect recipe for injuring the lower back. (Reference - Yoga Journal Article: Natasha Rizopoulos, Extend and Bend)   

In order to relieve tension in the hips and reduce the risk of injury to the lower back, it can be useful to sit up on a folded blanket to tip the pelvis forward and therefore allow gravity to more effectively pull the upper body forward. 

It is also important to note that the hamstrings are layered with lots of tough connective tissue, the fibers that help hold the muscle structure together.  You cannot change this type of tissue overnight – hamstrings need time to change their length.  (Reference - Yoga Journal Article, Julie Gudmestad, Into the Fold)

When our hamstrings are tight, the contraction creates a sense that we're constantly prepared to run away.  So stretching the hamstrings in forward bends can help calm, give patience and allow a slowing down and willingness to stay in one place.  (Reference - Yoga Journal Article: Barbara Kaplan Herring, Asanas for the Chakra System)

The chakra associated with forward bends is the muladhara chakra.  Circumstances that pull up our roots and that therefore cause deficiency in this chakra include travel, relocation, feeling fearful and big changes in our body, family, finances and business.  Some people, often those with busy minds and active imaginations, don't need special challenges to become deficient in this chakra; they feel ungrounded most of the time, living more in the head than in the body.  Forward bends are one of the many yoga poses that can help correct first chakra imbalances by bringing us back to our body and the earth by helping us experience safety, security and stillness.  (Refernce - Yoga Journal Article: Barbara Kaplan Herring, Asanas for the Chakra System)  Without balance in this chakra, it will be difficult for energy to move upwards to the other chakras.

Forward bends are also important for turning off the sympathetic nervous system – the part of the nervous system that is activated in times of stress and which comprises of the "fight-or-flight" response.  By turning this off, the parasympathetic nervous system is able to take over.  The parasympathetic nervous system allows the body to rest and digest. (Reference - Wikipedia article: Sympathetic nervous system, Parasympathetic nervous system).  The benefits of the parasympathetic nervous system are obvious – improved immune system and healthy and well rested organs.

While all these physical aspects are important, in yoga they are only important in so far as they enable the mind to be calm and the spirit to reflect.  Without these elements, this pose is nothing more than a stretch.

Mental aspects of Paschimottanasana

For me, my mental terrain during Paschimottanasana is steep and rocky – and I normally fall off the path.  My mind, like many others exposed to the demands and desires of modern life, is outwardly focussed.  Rarely am I required to, or do I choose to, look inside myself in a meaniful way.  Forward bends provide an opportunity to do so.  

I have to admit that Paschimottanasana is most challenging because of interference from my ego.  Second to that would be that I lack patience, something that is very important to practicing forward bends.  Finally I should also confess that my automatic preference is to look outside myself rather than within.  Paschimottanasana challenges and inspires me to overcome these negative aspects of myself in order to become a more balanced and free person.

In relation to the ego, Natasha Rizopoulos perceptively notes that while forward bends can look simple, the mental patterns that this pose engenders can be "revealing and enlightening". (Reference - Yoga Journal Article: Natasha Rizopoulos, Extend and Bend)  She goes on to further explain that Patanjali described the confusion of who you really are with who you think you are is at the heart of the problems caused by the ego.  I certainly fall into the trap of allowing my ego to guide me into pushing myself into a pose that I think I should be able to do as an "advanced yoga student".  Paschimottanasana challenges me to practice my yoga as I always should – without my ego. 

Carol Krucoff, in her article "Benevolent Bend", notes wisely that forward bends offer "a profound lesson in truthfulness – a moral discipline called satya … An attitude of total honesty is critical in this pose of humility, … Only by taking your ego out of the posture and being truthful about where you are can you progress safely and effectively .. this asana helps cultivate patience, acceptance, and surrender and teaches the delicate art of letting go – of tension in the body and of striving in the mind".  Towards the end of her article, I recognised myself when she noted that forward bends are an "eye-opening experience for many goal-oriented people, because it counters our tendency to "give 110 percent".  Simply put, you can't force yourself to relax. The harder you work at letting go, the less success you have".    Finally, Carol struck another cord for me when she closed her article with the profound statement, "recognise that the attitudes and practices you use to release in your hamstrings can help you let go of other unwanted tension in your life."

I could never honetly say that I have been a patient person – I have always strived for instant gratification, instant results.  Therefore, it is no wonder that Paschimottanasana is a frustrating pose for me.  Related to this is my lack of discipline for those tasks which need to be practiced over a long period of time.  Paschimottanasana requires me to be disciplined enough to sit in the pose for a few minutes everyday – without the motivating factor of being rewarded with a deeper forward bend within days.  The benefits of becoming more patient are enormous as I will be able to make decisions without instant pleasure being the aim, but rather what would be best for my happiness in the long term.

Spiritual aspects of Paschimottanasana

Paschimottanasana can be seen as a meditation where the point of focus is the body.  The body provides a beautiful pathway into experiencing what is fundamental about us, what I like to think of as our life force. (Reference – Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now)  By calming the mind, one can focus on the present moment – where thought does not exist.  What I mean here is that the mind is always thinking about the past or worrying about the future.  By focussing attention on the present moment, I can have a better chance at accessing that part of myself that is not caught up with the modifications of the mind.  While all of yoga is aimed at restraint of the modifications of the mind (Sutra 1:2), I find that Paschimottanasana is a powerful pose for me in this respect. 

Barbara Benagh I think discusses some of the spiritual aspects of this asana beautifully in her article "Asana column: Paschimottanasana":

"Erich Fromm, the twentieth-century social philosopher, observed that we are made anxious by freedom and that many of us prefer restriction to facing ambiguity. We encounter just such a challenge in Paschimottanasana. We want to find a formula that controls the process and guarantees success. Instead we are forced to deal with our attachments and habits, amending them or letting them go. By being consciously attentive to the ebb and flow of thoughts and sensations, you begin to understand that the mind can and does constantly influence your yoga. And you learn that the asana itself is not only a vehicle for physical restoration and well being but also an effective tool for developing the phsychological hardiness that grows from self-reflection."

This pose, more than any other, presents me with truths about myself.  Some of these truths are unlifting, but many are scary and ones that I have been avoiding for a long time.  If I can accept those truths about myself, then I should be able to move deeper into the pose, and deeper into myself.  The benefits of doing so will not just be apparent in my yoga practice, but in how I see myself and the world – no longer as the person that I think I should be, but an eternal spirit that is connected to everything around me. 

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