Paschimottanasana is a Seated Forward Bend. It’s a yoga posture that enhances both your body and mind. 

How to do Paschimottanasana :

• Sit on the Floor: Come and lie down on the carpet. Sit down and with your legs stretched out in front of you, toes pointing to the sky.
• Reach Your Arms: Inhale fully, and on the exhale, stretch your arms upwards, as if they were reaching for the sky. Think about when you’re attempting to reach the ceiling with your fingertips.
• Bend Forward: Next bend your hips forward slowly. Make sure to keep your back straight in a forward fold over your legs. Imaging that you are trying to reach your toe with your hand.
• Hold Your Toes: If you can, use your grip to pull your toes or shins upward. If you cannot get that much, it is fine. Only go as far as you can.
• Breathe and Relax: Have a couple of deep breaths before moving forward. Feel the pull on your back, legs, and hamstrings but in a good way. Engage yourself into the position and forget about any tension in your body.
• Stay for a Bit: Sit in this pose for while couple of breaths or as long as you feel comfortable. Be in the moment and feel good being you.

Benefits:

• Stretches Your Back: When you fold forward, it acts as a stretching process for your spine and lower back because it can be a great way of reducing the tension and tightness.
• Opens Your Hips: In addition to this, this pose also stretches your hip muscles that sometimes become very tight because of sitting or running around usually the whole day.
• Calms Your Mind: That deep breath in this pose can be helpful to slow your mind, decrease the level of stress, and boost your mood.
• Improves Digestion: Paschimottanasana has the additional advantage of massage your internal organs and boosting digestion. To sum up, if you have been experiencing lately belly discomfort, it might be worth trying this posture.

Don’t forget that you must listen to your body and do only what you enjoy doing not anything else. If anything causes pain or includes feelings that are too intense, take a little step back and be easier on yourself. from the beginning will not be easy, but with practice you’ll become better at Paschimottanasana and you’ll get to feel all the great benefits of this pose too.