With International Day of Yoga 2019 just a few days to go, Yoga lover, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun his run-down featuring a type of yoga asana each day until yoga day. After giving lessons on the Vrikshasana or Tree Pose and Tadasana, today Modi is throwing light on Padahastasana which is variant of the Uttanasana or Standing Forward Bend where the toes are grasped, is a standing forward bending asana in modern yoga. PM Modi shared the 3D avatar of himself performing the Padahastasana on his Twitter. The yoga asana is tied to umpteen health benefits, amongst which, spine flexibility and improved menstrual cycle are just a few to name. Padahastasana is derived from two Sanskrit words – Pada and Hasta, meaning foot and hand respectively and it is also known as Uttanasana or ‘hand under foot’ pose.

Apart from making the body and the spine flexible, Padahastasana is known to reduce belly fat and give you toned abs. It also helps improve digestion and regulate the menstrual cycle in women. It also has benefits with the nerve health of your body. International Day of Yoga 2019: PM Narendra Modi Performs Tadasana; How to Perform the Asana for Perfect Abs and Posture.

How to perform Padahastasana?

You must remember that this asana involves bending your back almost 180 degrees so if you have a back problem or spinal injury, please avoid the asana unless you have an expert around you.

  • Stand with your feet two inch apart.

  • Inhaling slowly, extend both your hands upwards.

  • Extend your body upwards from the waist while exhaling slowly and bending forwards.

  • Make both your palms touch the floor while keeping in mind that your hands and head are in sync with each other as you bend downwards.

  • Count to ten in this position all the while breathing normally.

    While taking a deep, long breath, raise your hand and body to come back to a standing position.

  • Make sure your hands and head are in sync while rising upwards.

    Exhale and lower your arms slowly.

Narendra Modi's 3D video performing Padahastasana ahead of International Day of Yoga 2019:

Just like everything has a flip side, this yoga pose too can be dangerous for certain people. The video states that some people shouldn’t be performing the yoga pose. People suffering from health problems such as heart diseases, swollen stomach, vertigo, hernia, myopia, ulcer or are pregnant shouldn't attempt the asana.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 09, 2019 11:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).