Yoga with Blocks & Straps - How to do forward fold yoga pose

CINDY MASTRY: In this clip, Faith is going to help me demonstrate a wide leg forward fold with a twist. It's seems like it would be easy to fold forward but for some people who have tight hamstrings or a tight low back, this move is almost impossible. So when we use a block, we can elevate the floor and take that problem out of it. So Faith is going to come and step her feet wide. Yeah. And she's going to bring her toes slightly in and her heels slightly out. She's going to tilt her tailbone down, draw her bellybutton in and lift up, open through her heart, open through her chest, taking her shoulders back. She's going to inhale and reach her arms up to the sky to find the length in the spine, and then she's going to try to extend that length forward as she exhales and comes down. Good. Now, her fingers may not hit the ground so what we're going to do is allow her to use this block. Good. Now, she's going to bring this block even maybe just--yeah, okay. And she's going to take her right hand right down straight out from her sternum. We're going to take this into a twist. Good. So she's going to press into the block. She's going to take her left hand to her left hip. She's that--the job of that left hand is to keep your hips square. Good. Now, she's going to rotate her shoulder up to the sky and come in to the twist keeping her hips level. The thing most people want to do is throw one hip up and off to the side so you have to lift up and make sure to keep your hips level. Whenever she's ready, she can extend her arm up to the sky. Good. Getting a great abdominal massage, it's really good for the digestion, the immune system. Beautiful. So the block helps to take the hamstrings, take the low back out of it. And as always, you could always bend your knees.