Triangle is pretty challenging. Can I get any benefit even if my hand isn’t down near my toe?

Also, while in the pose if my right leg is bent, left arm up...where should my left hip point? Forward or back?

Should I be focusing and stretching my left arm toward the ceiling and my right side toward the floor?? 

I know...lots of questions!!!

Thanks in advance!!

Hello happyyogachik

You asked 3 questions. The 1st and 3rd listed next, are answered first up:

Can I get any benefit even if my hand isn’t down near my toe? And should I be focusing and stretching my left arm toward the ceiling and my right side toward the floor?

Triangle is all about the geometry in the body. And because every BODY is different, the way your arms and body are positioned with respect to your legs may look a little different to that of your neighbor.

The problem is that teachers mostly give you a command to bring your fingers down, pointing them between the first and second toes. It seems as though you are being asked to touch your fingers between toes but not touching the floor. More importantly this direction does NOT take different body proportions into account.

What you need to focus on is the placement of the elbow at the knee and work from there. And even that needs some clarification. In order to get the traction through the arms you need to place the arm against the leg in a precise manner.

Bend your arms right now and place your fingers on your elbow point. Now straighten the arms and run your fingers along that particular bone. You will notice that this is a bone from your forearm (and not your upper arm). This is your ulna. What you want to do is to tilt your arms down and then bring the top of your ulna to your knee.

If you contact the wrong part of the arm on the knee - and this is, in 99% of cases the upper arm - then your body comes down too low and you feel very heavy as if you HAVE to touch the floor to hold yourself up. It is also hard to activate your lower arm in this position and the arm may even bend to resist the collapse of the pose.

So focus on the right part of the arm contacting the knee.

Then, work on the traction through both arms. One reaches up and the other reaches down. And BREATHE - as long, slow, calm and deep as you can.

If you have long arms like me, when you enter the pose your fingers will most likely be quite close to your toes. If you have shorter arms your fingers may be quite a distance from your toes but you have still got a powerful position creating great traction and stretch through shoulders, and opening through the hips, etc.

Re: where should your hip point, forward or back?
The more flexible you are the easier it will be to aim to keep your hips parallel to the mirror. This is the most stable position. The deep lunge and the leg positions will give a beautiful opening. I like students to angle the left foot in a few degrees to minimize sliding no matter how flexible.

Newer or less flexible students usually have to roll their extended leg hip down in order to preserve the lunge position. It cannot be helped. As your practice develops your hips will further open. The problem with a hip that is overly rolled down and forward is that it reduces the hip opening of this pose. And most students feel that the weight is placed mostly in the front bent leg, even towards the toes. Try to lift the toes up off the floor. You should feel your center of gravity move back toward the hips where it should be.

Let me know if I have not answered all your concerns. I have assumed you are able to keep your legs in position in my answer.

Looking forward to hearing more

Namaste
Gabrielle

Hi Gabrielle,

First of all, I just want to tell you how much I love your site - thank you for all of hard work!

I have been practicing for about 2.5 years, and have never been able to properly do triangle.  I look around the room, and I’m not even close to accomplishing what other people are - it’s incredibly frustrating!  I can get the proper setup with my knee bent, but it feels like my hip is going to snap in two, and my whole body shakes.  My teachers have told me to just stand in warrior pose for the time being (2.5 years!), but I’m wondering if there are any excercises that I can be doing to open up my hips?

I look forward to your response.

Thank you,
Laura

Hi Laura

Thank you for your compliments!

Will you help me please by answering some questions for me?
There are hip opener exercises for sure. But we will leave that for a while because I would like to delve a little deeper. You see, there could be something else at play.

Will you clarify:
1) you can set up your warrior very well, with your bent leg at exact right angle, and thigh parallel to floor, other leg straight and locked out. And if that is the case, how would you describe the relationship of your hips to the mirror? Are they more straight on, or in order to set this up do you need to roll the hip of the straight leg down?
2) what you feel in your hips when you are in your warrior.
3) in warrior where do you feel the weight. More in one leg than the other or centered around your hips?
4) when you enter triangle are your feet stable or do they slide?
5) are there any other poses in the series that are difficult or impossible because of this problem?

That should do it.

Namaste
Gabrielle

Hi Gabrielle,

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly.

My hips are more straight on to the mirror - I’m not really sure how to roll my hips, but I’ve been told to push my bum out.  They feel like they are going to snap in two, so I often come out of the bent knee, and then try to reposition again over and over.

I feel the weight mostly in my my thigh, although there is definitely pressure in my hips.

My feet slide!  I don’t often try to get into triangle, because I can’t keep my leg at the right angle - it hurts too much.

Tree pose (although lately I’m starting to feel a lot more flexible) and spine twisting are both difficult for me due to my hips.

Does that help?
Laura

Hello Laura

and thank YOU!

Will the questions ever end?
Have you been asked to push your bottom back behind you? YIKES. If that is what you are doing, don’t. I can’t imagine how that could make you feel solid and stable. You need to tuck your tailbone under. Otherwise you are going to feel yourself falling, shifting the weight to your bent leg, and you will feel heavy and not at all empowered.

Sounds like your weight is too far over your front leg. The feet sliding is an issue and you will definitely have heard this is to do with your inner thigh strength.

I am going to give you something to do. You may need to be resolved to try it and be strong (ignoring commands to step out very far). What I will give you is a technique that will give you success each time, (fingers crossed ) and incremental success and progress so that one day (and maybe even soon) you can get to the proper warrior stance again.

I recommend this to people with a severe hip problem and have had great success with students who have had bad shoulder problems with it as well. By the way, I do have another way to help you but would like you to try this first.

1) Next time you step out DON’T step out nearly as far. Step your right leg out so that when you lunge to the right side make sure your shin is vertical (knee stacked over ankle). Your thigh will probably be at around a 45 degree angle.

2) Arms our out parallel to the floor. You should be able to tuck your tailbone under and keep your hips square to the mirror and level to the ground.

3) Angle your left foot in 10-20 degrees for stability. Lock your left leg strong and long, even try to clench your left buttock (that comes with time and experience).

4) Palms toward the mirror. Activate your arms strong and long. Arms back a bit. Now bring your wrist to your knee not your elbow. Just your wrist. Of course you must try to cement your hips in the ‘lunge’ position without letting the left hip ride up.

5) Chin to shoulder look up to the ceiling and continue to activate your left arm to your fingers to ‘touch’ the ceiling. Keep stretching your active right arm to the floor and push your knee back with your wrist, (your wrist only).

Sounds odd. Teachers will ask you to widen your stance. Don’t. Finally get a taste of what Triangle should feel like.

6) Tomorrow, go back and step out. See if you can widen your step maybe an inch or more,you be the judge. But I guarantee over time (and as I implied before you may be surprised at how quickly you will improve) you will get to full Triangle.

7) Now as you widen your stance the more parallel your thigh becomes you will find that you can bring your arm to your knee moving the contact point closer to your elbow. Don’t be concerned if you continue to just contact your wrist for a while. The main thing is to show you that you can have the correct hip, body and arm positions while coaxing your body open in an empowering way. If you continue to fight to balance then there is no way you are benefiting from this pose. Let’s change that. This is a strong pose so find the strength in your arms and legs.

If you have read the posts on triangle you will know that you do not ever let any part of your upper arm touch your knee. Just the ulna.

***And remember to create the balance you must exert some backward pressure on that bent knee.

If you get to a point before full warrior triangle where your legs are continuing to slide come back to me for the other fix. I don’t want to give you too many options and overwhelm or confuse you.

In the meantime, ask someone to teach you (do an online search or buy a book on yin yoga) pigeon pose, half pigeon pose, seated pigeon, double pigeon, crescent lunge and frog etc so that you can coax some strength PLUS opening into your tight hips after class when your body is nice and warm. Ask other people what they do. Remember I can’t see you I am only working from your words on a page.

Re Tree pose: I need more information about where your heel exactly contacts your body.

Re Spine Twist: Are you bending both legs up? Are you familiar with the one-leg-straight approach?

Okey dokey.
You have homework…

Namaste
Gabrielle

Hi Gabrielle,

You are the BEST!  Thank you for such a comprehensive response! 

As for Tree Pose: my heel sits at about my mid thigh, and my knee is kind of in the air - it looks really awkward when I’m standing on my left leg.  My right leg/hip feels a lot better - I can stand up a lot straighter.

With Spine Twist, I do go into it with the one leg straight - this helps to make sure that both sit bones are on the floor. 

I’m going on vacation tomorrow, but will definitely try your tricks and tips when I get back in a week...I’ll let you know how it goes!

Have a wonderful weekend,
Laura

Thanks Gabrielle...your respones has been a HUGE help!

Hello happyyogachik

Thank you! I like to hear my techniques are working.

Hello Laura

I am eager to hear how you are now going with Triangle. Is there anything else I can do for you?

Namaste
Gabrielle