Wide-Legged Forward Fold

About This Pose

Wide-Legged Forward Fold is a different experience for almost everyone who tries it. The wide stance changes the hamstring stretch completely, targeting the inner hamstrings and adductors that a narrow-stance forward fold barely touches. For some people with long hamstrings it feels very open. For others it reveals a tightness they didn't know they had. Stand with feet three to four feet apart, toes pointing forward or turned in slightly. On an exhale, hinge at the hips and fold the torso forward. Hands can come to the mat, to blocks, or wrap around the ankles. The crown of the head hangs toward the floor. Unlike a standing forward fold, the wide stance means the hamstrings and inner thighs share the work. The fold happens from the hips rather than the waist, so keeping a slight arch in the low back on the way in helps protect the lumbar spine. There are several hand position variations: hands on the floor shoulder-width apart, hands interlaced behind the back for a shoulder opener, or hands to the outer edges of the feet with elbows bending as the head lowers toward the floor. The longer you stay, the more you feel. Thirty-second holds release surface tension. Two minutes begins to access the deeper connective tissue. For people with hamstring tightness, this is a more accessible version of the forward fold than the narrow-legged version.

How to Practice

1. 1

   Stand with feet about one leg-length apart, toes pointing forward and the outer edges of the feet parallel.

2. 2

   Place your hands on your hips, inhale, and lift the chest.

3. 3

   Exhale and hinge forward from the hips with a long spine.

4. 4

   Bring the hands to the floor under the shoulders, or to blocks. Bend the knees slightly if the hamstrings are tight.

5. 5

   If it is comfortable, walk the hands back between the feet and let the crown of the head release toward the floor.

6. 6

   Hold for 5–10 breaths. To rise, bring the hands to the hips, press through the feet, and lift with a long spine.

Benefits

• Stretches the hamstrings, inner thighs, and spine
• relieves lower back tension
• mildly inverts the body

Modifications & Variations

• Hands on blocks: keep the hands on blocks under the shoulders

• Bent knees: soften the knees to ease the hamstrings

• Hands on the hips: stop halfway with a flat back and the hands on the hips

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