Now, Paścimatānāsana: extend both legs like sticks on the ground. Holding the toes of both feet with the hands, place the forehead on the knees. This is called the western stretch.

Paścimatānāsana, the “posture of stretching toward the west,” is a fundamental forward bend. The “west” (paścima) refers to the back of the body, which in the meditation posture facing east receives the light of the setting sun.

The description is precise:

• Daṇḍa-rūpau — Legs extended like sticks, straight and firm
• Padāgra-dvitayam gṛhītvā — Holding both big toes
• Lalāṭa-deśo jānūpari — The forehead rests on the knees

This ideal of the forehead touching the knees requires considerable flexibility in the hamstrings, hips, and spine. Beginners should work progressively.

This is probably the most important forward bend in Haṭha Yoga. It stretches the entire posterior chain of the body and has profound effects on Suṣumnā nāḍī, which runs along the spine.