Finding Your Way Back to You Through Forward Fold “Uttanasana”
Do you remember the girl you used to be? The one who dreamed fearlessly, who knew exactly what made her heart sing? Somewhere between school drop-offs, board meetings, and the beautiful chaos of building a life, that voice may have grown quieter. But she's still there, waiting for you to pause, breathe, and listen.
Uttanasana, the standing forward fold, is more than just another pose in your Sun Salutation. It's an invitation to surrender—not in defeat, but in trust. As you fold forward, you're not just stretching your hamstrings; you're creating space to reconnect with the dreams that once lit you up from the inside.
This gentle inward turn mirrors the journey so many of us need to take. In our forward-facing world of constant giving—to our families, our careers, our communities—Uttanasana asks us to turn toward ourselves with the same devotion. It's a pose that whispers, "What if the answer isn't out there, but in here?"
As you fold, you're activating your Muladhara, your root chakra—that deep well of knowing that connects you to your most authentic self. This isn't just about feeling grounded in the moment; it's about remembering who you were before the world told you who you should be. It's about reclaiming that sense of security that comes not from external achievements, but from the unshakeable truth of your own worth.
The physical benefits are beautiful too—your liver and kidneys get a gentle massage, supporting your body's natural ability to release what no longer serves you. Your hamstrings lengthen, your mind quiets, and stress begins to melt away like ice in warm water. But the real magic happens in that moment when you realize you're not just bending your body—you're bending toward possibility.
How to Practice Uttanasana: Your Journey Inward
Begin with intention: Stand tall in Mountain Pose, hands resting on your hips. This isn't just about alignment—it's about claiming your space, acknowledging that you deserve this moment for yourself.
Breathe and surrender: Inhale deeply, then as you exhale, begin to fold forward from your hips. Let this be a gentle conversation with your body, not a demand. Press your sitting bones back slightly, soften your knees, and feel your spine lengthen like you're making room for dreams to resurface.
Find your edge with compassion: Allow your hands to slide down your legs, stopping wherever feels right for you today. There's no destination here, no "perfect" version you need to achieve. Cross your forearms and hold your elbows if that feels nurturing, or let your fingers reach toward the earth—whatever honors where you are right now.
Let go of the need to hold it all together: Allow your head to be heavy. Release the weight of decisions, of schedules, of everyone else's needs. Sway gently from side to side, like a tree that knows how to bend without breaking.
Honor your body's wisdom: If your lower back calls for attention, bend your knees more deeply and rest your forearms on your thighs. This isn't compromise—this is listening. This is the same intuitive wisdom that once guided your biggest dreams.
Create a rhythm of remembering: If you're folding deeper, try this dance: Inhale to lift your chest and look forward, feeling your heart open to possibility. Exhale to fold forward again, drawing your belly gently back, letting the crown of your head relax toward the earth as if you're bowing to your own potential.
Try this several times—inhaling to expand into who you're becoming, exhaling to release who you think you should be.
Rise with intention: When you're ready to return, press your feet firmly into the earth like you're drawing strength from your foundation. Place your hands on your hips, inhale to lift halfway—spine parallel to the floor like a bridge between who you were and who you're becoming. Exhale to rise all the way up to standing, carrying with you whatever wisdom this moment offered.
This pose is your permission slip to turn inward, to remember that the dreams you thought you'd lost aren't gone—they're simply waiting for you to create space for them again. In Uttanasana, you're not just folding forward; you're folding into the possibility of becoming whole again.
Essential Oils to Use with Uttanasana
“Standing Forward Bend, “Uttanasana,” is a grounding pose that helps to open the base or root chakra, Muladhara in Sanskrit, relating to security, grounding, and survival instinct.
The Urban Goddess Blend, as part of our Sacred Yoga Scents, amplifies your yoga practice. Essential oils enhance the vibration of intention, creating Sankalpa.
Urban Goddess strengthens Uttanasana as it calms the mind, relieves stress, improves digestion, and reduces anxiety. A blend of rose geranium, lemon myrtle and pink grapefruit. Urban Goddess also reawakens your divine feminine essence, boosts manifesting power, restores balance, and promotes confidence.
Rose Geranium: This is a type of geranium not related to the rose family. It helps balance hormones, enhances mood, and promotes feelings of optimism and stability. Ancient Egyptians used it for healthy glowing skin.
Lemon Myrtle: An Australian native tree indigenous to the sub-tropical rainforests of Queensland. It is the world’s richest known natural source of citral. This delicious lemonade-smelling scented essential oil helps boost the immune system. Described as a blend of lemongrass, lime, and lemon. A powerful antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiseptic and anti-fungal, more so than tea tree. A great tool to have to support your health. Herbal tea made from a lemon myrtle leaf in hot water is a tasty antimicrobial drop.
Pink Grapefruit: Invigorates and awakens. Made from the fruit's rind, it aids digestion, curbs hunger pains and reduces cellulite. Pink grapefruit energises the metabolism and mood.
To use the Urban Goddess roll-on balm, simply apply it to pulse points or place a few drops into a diffuser to enhance and gain the full benefit of your yoga practice.”
Sharen Turner, Secret Scent Aromatherapy