Standing Forward Bend

About This Class

In this short, approachable pose tutorial, Bryan Kest guides students into Prasarita Padottanasana (Standing Spread Leg Forward Bend) via a detailed warm-up sequence — starting in Child's Pose, moving through Down Dog, a balancing lunge, Warrior One, and Warrior Two — before pivoting both feet to square and folding forward. Once in the pose, Bryan emphasizes active legs (drawing energy from the inner arches up toward the groin), a long spine, a sweetly tilting tailbone, and a soft neck and jaw. Several hand-position variations are explored: hands to the floor, grabbing ankles or big toes, hands on the waist with core engagement, and fingers interlaced behind the back (including the more shoulder-intensive palms-turned-inside-out version). The class closes by walking students safely back to standing with a flat back, making it a thorough, educational deep-dive into a single foundational forward-fold pose.