Kicking Asanas & Taking Names: Forward Bends

We like to kick asanas and take names around here, and by that, I mean we like to kick it in our favorite asanas and then share the names of those yoga poses via posts by yours truly and comments by you, the best readers in the blogosphere. It's true; the Academy voted on it and the award was accepted on your behalf at an earlier ceremony hosted by Cameron Diaz . . . Congratulations!

Being Monday and all, I thought I'd highlight forward bends, as this class of poses is especially soothing for frayed nerves and settling to a distracted mind, which occasionally arise in response to the first day of the week. According to the classic yoga text, Yoga: The Iyengar Way by Silva, Mira, and Shyam Mehta, seated forward bends are credited with "removing fatigue, refreshing the brain, and soothing the nerves. They regularize blood pressure . . . aid recovery from illness . . . and promote healthy sleep."

Some of my favorite forward bends include the above Upavista Konasana and Pascimottanasana. Please add your own!