Padangusthasana - The Big Toe pose

Padangusthasana also called as the Big Toe pose is one of the easiest poses in Yoga.  Most of the yoga practitioners will learn how to do this padangusthasana in the early practices and yoga sessions.  It is one of the important yoga pose which helps you to stretch all your muscles from head to toe.  Here are the steps to practice padangusthasana.

Steps to practice Padangusthasana

• Stand upright as in Tadasana with your feet parallel to each other.  There should be at least six inches between the feet.  Keep your legs straight.
• Now contract your thigh muscles, which will lift your knee caps outward.
• Keep the legs straight, and bend forward with an aim of touching your forehead to your knee.  Your torso and head should move together.
• Once in this position, try to grip your big toes with fingers of each foot.  Grip your toes firmly with your fingers
• Now press your toes into your hand.  If you are unable to catch your toes with changing your posture, you can also use a band or a strap to hook under your toes and hold that instead.
• Now lift your torso and straighten your elbows as you inhale.
• Do this for as high as you can without stressing any other part like your neck ..
• Exhale when you release your torso and bend towards your toes again.  Do this repeatedly.
• Now try to straighten as if going to starting position but holding your toes.
• Do this cycle of inhalation and exhalation few times increasing the stretch of the torso every time you stretch.
• Come back to the starting position by slowly releasing the band and straightening up.

Precaution
If you feel some stroppy pain in your spine or any part of your body, immediately stop doing it. If you suffer from lower back pain or any lumbar pain, this posture is not advisable to perform. If you have flat feet and week ankle, you must first take instruction from your trainer.

Benefits of Padangusthasana

• This asana is immensely helpful to improve flexibility of the whole body.
• This asana someway calms the body flow of blood and thus helps in reducing hypertension.
• This asana helps to stretch hamstring, calf muscles and thigh, and thus burn the fat and increase strength in these areas.
• Regular practice of this asana helps to relieve bowel movement and bloated feeling in the stomach.
• It helps to rejuvenate liver and spine and aims to balance the physical and mental aspect.
• This asana is recommended for people who are suffering from osteoporosis or likely to suffer from it. This posture gives strength to bones. It is experienced that this asana somehow helpful in insomnia.

Here is a video showing how to practice Padangusthasana