This pose actively stretches your hamstrings to release tension in your spine and back. Focus on engaging the correct muscles to stretch the hamstrings, and don’t worry about whether you can touch your hands to the floor. This posture is great after a workout or long walk.
Forward Fold Target Muscles
- hamstrings
- core
- mid-back
- upper back
Forward Fold Benefits
- Increases hamstring mobility
- Relieves tension in entire spine
- Prevents soft-tissue injuries in hips and thighs
How to do Forward Fold Pose for Beginners
- Stand in Mountain with your big toes touching and heels about 1in (2.5cm) apart.
- Inhale to lift arms overhead, then exhale as you hinge at the hips and squeeze torso toward upper thighs. Let fingertips move toward the floor.
- Tuck chin to chest, looking backward to lengthen back of neck. Maintain a flat back by firmly engaging abs and squeezing inner thighs.
- Hold the posture, inhaling as you lengthen the spine, and exhaling as you fold deeper.
Cues for Forward Fold
- Tuck chin toward chest
- Keep spine long and flat
- Use core to pull torso toward thighs
- Keep hips directly above heels, not behind
- Keep knees soft
YOU SHOULD FEEL
- Stretch in back of thighs, calves, mid-back, upper back, and neck
- Engagement of hips, thighs, and core
YOU SHOULDN’T FEEL
- Relaxed abdomen; if so, fully engage core to deepen the fold and protect spine
- Significant rounding of spine to bend deeper; if so, bend knees as needed
Forward Fold Pro Tip
Actively flex the muscles in the front of the body to feel the stretch in the back of the body. Focus on keeping the back flat. Bend knees as necessary; hamstring flexibility comes with time.
Forward Fold Modification
NOT THERE YET? If you must strain to reach your fingertips to the floor, bend knees and place hands on a block in front of your feet.
About Dean Pohlman, Founder & CEO of Man Flow Yoga, Author of Yoga Fitness for Men, Expert on Yoga Fitness for Men.
Dean Pohlman is an E-RYT 200 certified yoga instructor and the founder of Man Flow Yoga. Dean is widely considered to be an authority on Yoga for Men. He has worked with physical therapists to create yoga programs for back health and spinal recovery. His workouts and programs have been used by professional and collegiate athletes, athletic trainers, and personal trainers; and have been recommended by physical therapists, doctors, chiropractors, and other medical professionals.
Dean is a successfully published author through DK Publishing (Yoga Fitness for Men), selling 35,000 copies worldwide in English, French, and German; in addition to being a co-producer of the Body by Yoga DVD Series, which has sold over 40,000 copies on Amazon since its release in 2016.
Man Flow Yoga has been featured in Muscle & Fitness Magazine, Mens’ Health, The Chicago Sun, New York Magazine, and many more major news media outlets.
