Standing · beginner

Standing Forward Fold

Uttanasana

A hanging fold from the hips. Comfortable and useful with bent knees; a common way to irritate a back with straight ones.

Standing Forward Fold Photograph coming soon

A rigged MakeHuman figure animated into Standing Forward Fold from this guide's own alignment cues — not a photo or scan of a real instructor. Same avatar as Mountain Pose and Downward Dog; the clip enters from Mountain Pose, holds with a visible breath, and releases back — with the head and neck kept completely heavy through the fold, matching this guide’s own cue, with the feet solved onto one floor plane on every frame. Built with MPFB2 from the MakeHuman community CC0 system assets.

How to do it

  1. From standing, bend your knees generously and hinge forward from the hips.
  2. Let your torso rest down toward your thighs.
  3. Let the head and neck go completely heavy.
  4. Hold opposite elbows, or bring hands to the floor or blocks.

Why it helps

  • Lengthens hamstrings and calves
  • Releases the neck and shoulders when you let the head hang
  • Calming, because the head drops below the heart

Common mistakes

  • Straightening the legs and rounding the lower back to reach the floor.
  • Coming up fast — roll up slowly, or come up with a flat back.

Before you try it

  • Bend the knees generously with any lower-back sensitivity. Come up slowly if you're prone to dizziness.

This is general information, not medical advice. If you're working with an injury, a health condition, or you're pregnant, check with a doctor or physical therapist and tell your teacher before class.

Make it easier

  • Deep knee bend.
  • Hands on blocks or a chair seat.
  • Feet hip-width or wider.

Where this pose shows up

Styles hot yoga yin

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