TheHotYogaDoctor

I’ve found it incredibly uncomfortable to keep my fingers under the outside edges of my feet in this pose.  I’ve never been able to make it all the way through -  I always end up either grabbing my ankles, resting my fingers alongside the feet, or pressing gently against my hamstrings.  Is this normal?  Are there any adjustments I should try to make to ease my aching fingers?  I’ve played around with shifting my weight a little forward or slightly back, but it doesn’t seem to make much difference.

Hiya synchro_idiotic

Request for further information

Wondering if you could tell me exactly where along your foot you are contacting/grabbing in relation to your heel or arch or toes.

Over to you

Namaste
Gabrielle

I’ve tried a few different spots - in the arch, closer up near the toes, back towards the heel.  I’m at a loss!

Hey you!

Thanks for the heads up on your hand positions…

The thing that comes to mind is a very common mistake. Perhaps you have your feet too far apart. I have a blog posting on this and it has photos as well. You may have seen it and thought it wasn’t for you because of the title, but believe me, this is THE key to this pose. Here is the link:

Opening up your hamstrings with hot yoga

Ideally you want your fingers to come in from behind the heels at an angle. You will probably find it a heap easier when the feet are only 3 feet apart. The ‘dialog’ says 4 feet. This causes a number of problems especially if you are very tight or shorter than average; including back strain and grip problems. This pose is about the stretch through the whole back of the body. It should feel delicious. I hope you can tweak this with me, because I am sure with a little toing and froing you can find the sweet spot for you.

Over to you s_i and please get back to me soon…

Namaste
Gabrielle

PS I do have other ideas for you in my ‘toolbox’ but let’s please knock off one idea at a time here!

I read the thread you linked, and tried shortening my stance, and it does help a little bit, but it’s still uncomfortable near the end of the pose.  I invariably end up bending my knees a bit, closing my hands gently [as if I were finding the grip underneath] and resting them on the tops of my feet instead.

Hello synchro_idiotic

So here is where I KNOW you will get a lot more out of this pose. Start out with bent knees and work on keeping your back straight. Straight legs are only the ‘cream on top’. It is not how the benefits happen. The pose ‘works’ because you have a good grip with your hands and traction created by the pull on your feet powered by your biceps PLUS the lifting of the hips. All these things work together to create a satisfying stretch. My hunch: you are tiring yourself by starting out with straight legs and then needing to bend your legs and rest your hands on your feet. Doing the pose like this can be risky: causing damage to your back and strain to your shoulders and neck. Bend your legs a lot, get a good grip, pull with your biceps and not your shoulders and lift your hips while preserving a straight spine. May I please, pretty please, suggest you read this carefully again and then reread yoga Opening up your hamstrings with hot yoga. I can guarantee this will work.

Namaste
Gabrielle

I don’t understand gabrielle, because the dialogue says “if you cant touch your forehead to the floor you need to open your legs more”. so i do, and still cant grip my heels, so i lock my knees and focus on stretching down and looking at the mat. i dont feel like i’m getting anything out of this pose so its especially annoying to me. i cant do any of the poses “right”, but this one doesnt feel like i’m really getting any benefit. so youre saying i should shorten my stance, even though the teachers only suggest that for the people that are really flexible and are close to hitting the floor?

Hi Jessica

Don’t worry! This pose will feel good to you very soon. Notice in the post just above yours there is a link to a post about hamstrings. Click on that and read it! Then apply the concept.

In a nutshell (still, read the blog post linked above. Promise me! ) you will step out somewhere around 3 - 3.5 feet. I don’t know your body’s limitations nor how tall you are so you will just have to trust yourself and experiment. You will bend your legs and straighten your back. Get your elbows near your shins by bending your arms and pull as indicated in the blog post. I PROMISE this will feel as if something USEFUL and ecological and efficient is happening in your body that serves to open it up and not just tug at your back and leg muscles.

If you have any trouble in understanding the technique then just come back to me.

Namaste
Gabrielle