Reach for your toes

Lee Kennedy

Padangusthasana, or ‘big toe pose’, has many benefits. It calms the brain and helps relieve stress and anxiety, stimulates the liver and kidneys, gives the hamstrings and calves a good stretch, strengthens the thighs, improves digestion, helps with the symptoms of menopause and relieves headache and insomnia. However, if you have lower back or neck injuries, it’s best to avoid this pose.

Padangusthasana – big toe pose
> Stand upright with your inner feet parallel and about six inches apart. Exhale and bend forward from your hip joints, moving your torso and head as one unit.

> Slide the index and middle fingers of each hand between the big toes and the second toes. Curl those fingers under and grip the big toes firmly, wrapping the thumbs around the other two fingers to secure the wrap. (If you can't reach your toes without overly rounding your back, pass a strap under the ball of each foot and hold the straps.)

> With an inhalation, lift your torso as if you were going to stand up again, straightening your elbows. Lengthen your front torso, and on the next exhale, lift your sitting bones.

> Lift the top of your sternum as high as you can, Keep your forehead relaxed.

> For the next few inhalations, lift your torso strongly as you continue to actively contract your front thighs; on each successive exhalation, strongly lift your sitting bones as you consciously relax your hamstrings.

> Finally exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides, pull up on your toes, lengthen the front and sides of your torso, and gently lower into the forward bend. If you have very long hamstrings, you can draw your forehead toward your shins. But if your hamstrings are short, it's better to focus on keeping the front torso long. Hunching into a forward bend isn't safe for your lower back and does nothing to lengthen your hamstrings!

> Hold the final position for one minute.

> Release your toes, bring your hands to your hips and re-lengthen your front torso. With an inhale, swing your torso and head as a single unit back to upright.