How to perform Simple Cross Legs Forward
Sit with your legs crossed. Keep your sit-bones pointing downward as you fold forward over your legs to capacity, lengthening your spine.
What is Adho Mukha Sukhasana?
Also known as Simple Cross Legs Forward, this is a relatively easy forward bending pose, suitable for yoga students of all levels. It can also be seen as a modification of Virasana Forward.
It helps release tension from the lower back as well as open the hips and gently stretch your spine. As you reach forward, try to follow your breath: sink deeper as you exhale and feel the effect the stretch has on your body as you inhale. Keep your sit bones pointing down. If this proves to be a challenge, place support under your buttocks. This will allow you to fold deeper.
When to use it?
It can be incorporated into different types of sequences: from restorative to dynamic, depending on how far you fold into this pose. If used restoratively, you can place some form of support under your head and/or arms.
Being asymmetrical in nature, this pose should ideally be repeated in a way that you change the cross of your legs each time. However, this can prove to be a challenge for some people due to anatomical peculiarities. In this case, you can either place a blanket under your buttocks or use a block under your problematic knee so that you can be maximally grounded as you fold into the pose.
You can either place your head on the floor if your flexibility allows it, or place a block or folded blanket under your head. This will allow you to hold this pose for longer, as you will not have to sustain the extra effort required for your neck and upper back to support your head.
