Padangusthasana is a SANSKRIT word that means Pada means ''Foot'', Angustha means ''big toe'', and Asana means ''Pose''. This is also known as ''Big Toe Pose yoga'' in English. This poses better works on your legs, ankles, and hamstrings while activating your hips, arms, and shoulders.
Start with standing straight with your hands on the side. Keep your feet hip-width apart. bring a deep breath in and stretch your hands above the head. then breathe out and bend your torso towards your feet. hold your toes with your fingers. hold in this position for 50-60 seconds. bring a deep breath in and lift your body up. ensuring your legs and elbows are straight. relax then again start practice. 8 to 10 repetitions daily.
Benefits of Supta Padangusthasana yoga:
There are the most important health benefits of Padangusthasana are,
1. Padangusthasana help to increase the digestive system and prevent problems such as bloat, flatulence, and constipation.
2. Padangusthasana excellent asana to stretch and strengthen your thigh muscles. This improves your workout performance and functionality.
3. This asana helps people who lead a sedentary life or need to spend a lot of time in front of the screen.
4. This pose helps in activating your lower back muscles and correcting your posture. and also prevent postural problems such as lower back pain, stiffness, and tension.
5. Padangusthasana helps to improve the circulation to your brain. useful to make for better cognitive functioning and to prevent age-related neurodegenerative conditions.
6. This pose is useful to reduce liver and kidney issues.
7. Padangusthasana helps to reduce painful menstruation and to comfort the symptoms of menopause.
8. Padangusthasa is very simple so you can add it easily included in home workouts.
9. This pose helps in the circulation of fresh blood to the brain providing calmness and preparing the body for sound sleep.
10. Padangusthasana helps to increase the strength of your erector spinae.
Step by step Padangusthasana yoga:
1. Stay in Tadasana. (Step 1.) Stretch the legs a foot apart.
2. Brath out, stretch forward and hold the big toes between the thumbs and the first two fingers, so that the palms face each other. Grip them tight. (Step 2)
3. Keep the head up, Spread the posture towards the chest and make the back as curved inward as possible. Instead of stretching down from the shoulders, bend forward from the pelvic region to get the curved inward shape of the back from the coccyx.
4. Keep the legs tight and do not slacken the hold at the knees and toes. Spread the shoulder-blades also. Take one or two breaths in this posture..
5. Now breath out, and bring the head in between the knees by tightening the knees and pulling the toes without lifting them off the floor. (Step 3.) Remain in this pose for about 20 seconds, maintaining normal breathing.
6. Breath in, come to position 2 (Step 4), loose the toes and stand up. Return to Tadasana. (Step 1)
