Hi Gabrielle,
I was wondering, are you supposed to tighten or relax the muscles in your gluteus during this pose?

thanks,
susan

Hi Susan

You should always squeeze the bottom and push hips forward (in 99% of cases).

Squeezing your butt provides support from the base of your spine as you go into your backbend. It gets you out of the pose by helping propel your body forward without straining your spine, neck or abdominal muscles.

Judging hip position in space is one good way to gage your progress in the pose and provides a very good focal point - for concentration. If you go back and your hips are positioned behind your knees then you know it is too early to put your hands on your heels.
Always try to keep your hips forward of your knees (except for passage to Full Camel). Relaxing the bottom is for those who are very close to achieving Full Camel.

Namaste
Gabrielle

Thanks Gabrielle!
First off, I just want to thank you and the others who have contributed to making this website happen. It’s so informative and your knowledge is truly amazing.

on a different note, I have been practicing for a few years now, but just started teaching about 8 months ago. I notice that the more I teach, the more questions I have. I have already found answers to a lot of my questions on this website, but if you are willing to respond, I still have a few more. I know these questions are not in the appropriate category, but I figured it would be easier for you to answer if you had all the questions together. feel free to copy and paste them as you like.

1. In Pranayama, is it okay for your wrists to curve up around your jaw?

2. In Utkatasana, the second part, is it more important to bring your hips down as far as you can (but not letting them drop below parallel) or to be as high up as you can on your toes?

3. In standing head to knee pose, when you kick do your thumbs also have to be interlaced to the webbing? as hard as i have tried, my thumbs still pull apart. i think it maybe b/c i have really small hands or maybe b/c my grip still isnt strong enough, although i dont have trouble with my grip during any other posture.

4. In Dhanruasana, why is it important that your wrists are straight?

5. In Sasangasana, the crown of my head is on the floor and I have my forehead touching my knees, but I have heard some teachers tell students to tuck their chin slightly. if i tuck my chin, I then roll a little onto the back of my head. is this okay, or should i just not tuck my chin?

6. And last but not least, what you would say are the key elements of the spine twist? at this point in the class most of the students are tired and hot and really dont want to deal with the pose. so instead of overwhelming them with all the details I would rather just give a few important points.

ok, well that about does it. please please, take your time. i dont want you to feel hurried. i have all the time in the world. thanks again!