Still can’t do toe stand after 3 years

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#1005

Posted by Julie

I’ve been practising for over 3 years and have not succeeded with this posture. When I bend down to take the floor, my foot slips down from above my knee. Sometimes before I even touch the floor with my hands, sometimes when I bend the standing leg. I note the above comments regarding tree pose and have experienced some gains by incorporating them.

My hips are not as flexible as some of the other practitioners in the room. I am currently undertaking neural therapy to release energy through the caesarian scars that I have been blessed (?) with. Maybe that will help eventually. I also realise that after trying for so long to do this posture, I subconsciously hold some fear of it. Hard to explain. I’m trying to get out of this using EFT (emotional freedom technique) before class.

I’m 50 years old but I’ll never give up. One day I’ll do a toe stand and have all the instructors clapping. Who else has problems with this pose or can offer some suggestions?

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#2833

Posted by Ela

Dear Julie,

I’ve been practicing 3 weeks and cannot even grab my feet. Long way to go…
Just to show you how far you went already..

🙂

the best,

ela

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#2834

Hi there folks

You know that if you are having difficulty in Toe stand there are alternative ways to work on your hip opening:

I have mentioned in other threads the great benefit of hip-opening yin yoga poses. In particular you could ask for some help, or research (online or in some lovely yin yoga books) pigeon pose and another favorite of mine, square. Square is intense but incredibly effective.

The ‘secret’ to yin poses is to stay in them for extended periods of time. Perhaps your teachers can give you a couple of hip-openers to ‘enjoy’ particularly AFTER CLASS when you are already completely warmed through.

What I really like with these poses is that you witness your body opening – you really feel it in the hips. They are self-regulating poses where you can only go where you can go, no further. And as your body opens your leg positions adjust to accommodate even better stretching. The stretches are safe because you are warm (after class) and the prolonged time in them works magic.

Julie, there is an interim pose that you can do in Toe which is a beautiful stretch through the hips. Bring your hands to the floor ready for Toe, but keep the standing leg straight and locked. Stay there inverted with hands on the floor, hips toward the ceiling. Make sure you keep your hips even and square and keep working your knee back in the same way you do when you are in Tree pose.

Let me know how this works for you.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

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#2835

Posted by Jared

I have no trouble with the toe stand but my forward bend I have been going at for about two years now and although I have made progress I still can’t get the bend as deep as others. I think this comes from my other physical activities that cause the hams to tighten and then I loosen them again with yoga.

Cycle repeats itself … I have noticed since doing more Yoga that my starts in swimming are faster and stronger.

Never give up is a good moto.

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#2836

Hi Jared

Are you talking about forward bends in general, the one into Toe Stand or other particular ones?

Curious!
Gabrielle 🙂

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#2837

Posted by Julie

Hi Gabrielle,

I tried your suggestion regarding toe stand. I can touch the floor in front of me with one hand but if I let go of my foot with the other, my foot just slips down.

However, I think it’s a good idea to stay like that until the rest of the class finishes toe stand because, as you say, it extends the stretch through my hips. And maybe one day my foot won’t slip. I’ve felt a bit woozy from having my head down, but fortunately savasana is straight afterwards and I can rebalance. I love the Bikram sequence. I often find new insights into why the postures are in a particular order.

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#2838

Hello Julie

I was wondering if you had any joy discovering the yin yoga poses yet?

As for your latest post if it were me, I would probably do some hip openers after each class whenever possible. It also sounds as if you would really benefit from continuing Tree pose for second set for a while. However if you are intent on attempting the interim pose then I would probably do it only one in every 2-3 classes. With only one hand on the floor it may not be quite stable or symmetrical enough for your body. You be the judge. Keep your focus on lifting up your hips to square and drawing your knee backward.

When in Tree, really try to pull your foot up with your hand, by bending your elbow backward. You need to relax your shoulder down and back away from the ear and isolate the pull to the biceps. As you pull up, work your knee down and back. This creates a wonderful traction: the pull on the foot as the knee moves down, you can feel the hips and pelvis open as you tuck the tailbone under and squeeze your bottom (ie don’t arch the spine). In this way you will make more progress more quickly to ready yourself for Toe.

Kind regards
Gabrielle 🙂

[obidoo]

#2880

I’ve been practicing for 4 years but I’ve never worn shorts. I wear capris and my foot has never slipped. Maybe it’s worth a shot to try this simple change and maybe it’s just the slippery leg that’s keeping you out of toe stand. I also use a small hand towel for standing bow and I’ve been in a full split for years. Maybe I’m cheating but I love all the postures and want every bit of benefit I can squeeze out of them!!
Namaste, Amanda

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#2885

Hello Amanda

You may have a point there. It may help someone at first to work out which muscles need to strengthen to set their foot in position.

Now Amanda it is time to step up to the mark! 😉 If you have been doing Standing Bow near full splits for years then I challenge you to drop the hand towel. I know it is possible because I was once there too. The studio I started in had quite a number of students and even teachers who used hand towels. One day I was told to drop it. Which I did. For the first few weeks I felt cramping and pain in my fingers. It was hard to hold on. I also felt pain in my shins. It was all short lived. Now there is strength plus ease in the grip and my pose is as good as ever.

Give it a go! :cheese:

Oh, we actually had a similar discussion in another thread. Here is the link:
Is it OK to use a hand towel to help with the grips?

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[obidoo]

#2886

Hi Gabrielle,
Wow you must have magic running through you! I can’t wait till Monday to drop my hand towel. Sometimes we have to check our ego at the door ( no full splits for a while ). I will totally give it a go…my instuctors will be shocked. Thank you for your wonderful (warm, strong and inspiring) energy.
xo
Amanda

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#2889

:cheese: Beautiful. Can’t wait to hear how you go.

Enjoy the process.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[Emily]

#3292

I know there are some comments in this thread about difficulty with the foot slipping during tree/toe stand and just thought I would share my own experience.

I used to have major problems with my foot slipping. It stayed more easily when I wore capri pants, so I believed that the slipping was unavoidable with the sweat. I found it hard to believe that it was actually about learning to us the right muscles.

However, eventually (it only took a few months, I think) my foot just stayed! And now my foot stays up for the whole pose regardless of how sweaty I am or what pants I am wearing. It was great to prove myself wrong!

One of the things that I found, which may or may not help others, is that rather than pushing the side of my foot into my body, my foot now reaches a position where it is actually the top of my foot that is pressed into the bikini line. My foot has twisted just slightly so that the sole of my foot sort of faces the mirror. I didn’t do this consciously, but just seemed to progress to this point. I imagine it is also increased flexibility. I’m not sure if this is specific to me, or if it may help others.

This development really made me aware of how I can tend to jump to conclusions about the role of the sweat and slipping, in this and other poses (standing bow, wind-removing, triangle etc). I try now not to alter my clothing, but really to just have faith in the muscles finding their own way eventually!!

Thanks so much to everyone for sharing such wonderful stories on this forum- I have learned so much from browsing through here!

[kris90210]

#3339

My problem begins once I get down on the floor.

I can’t seem to get into the final prayer position, I’m not sure if it has to do with my hips being tight, my core strength not being able to support the balance, etc.

Any suggestions?

Kristin

[lobsangscat]

#7810

I am no doctor but I can tell you from my experience that it helps to have your balancing foot as central to the mid-line of your body as possible. I picked up a great tip from the teacher today and I am excited about experimenting with it again tomorrow.

Flex your resting ankle and point the toes towards the body. I believe this helps in numerous ways, especially with the alignment of the hips.

Take care, practice patiently, and enjoy 🙂

[annyca]

#8043

What about if your hands don’t reach the side of your body (perhaps because I am too tight in the hips as well) but is there a way to help the “sinking down” process?

Once I reach the ground, my feet don’t slip but I can’t just rest there without my hands being forward.

[luv2yoga]

#10484

Toe stand…lobsangscat said point toes on resting foot towards your body. My toes are pointing towards the wall/mirrow on the side. Do you mean to try curling them back inwards/upwards? Impossible to turn/aim foot back to body.

Thanks

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#10499

Hi Willie

I think the best thing to do is to relax that foot. Creating tension in that foot radiates through the leg and it’s hard to let go and find balance.

Some bodies just cannot get what some consider to be ideal position. That doesn’t matter as much as ideal energy consumption and knowing which muscles to use and which to let go of.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[luv2yoga]

#10650

Thanks Gabrielle, I am still working on the Toe stand, I and using your tips for )Long torso people like myself). I get to the hands on the floor, and start to work them back to a point, to were I have to straighten up and that is were it breaks down.

The teachers tell me that I am hunched over and lifting my hands up before I have balance and hands at my side. So that is were I am at. Hands about 8-9 inches forward, away from my hip sides, hunched over, and trying to make the jumb to prayer position and back straight, which lands me flat on my but, LOL. Instuctor has be balance on back wall to get the balance, which I don’t know how it helps because I can’t get to that spot, but I will keep doing it, maybe i will get the feeling of what it feels like.

Thanks

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#10655

Hi Willie

I believe there is a problem with the argument that your teachers are giving you, IF when you are upright you cannot naturally reach your arms to the floor and simultaneously keep your back vertical – and BALANCE. Since you are applying the technique for those who cannot reach the ground with hands then I figure you have taken that into account! Right? :cheese: I believe you are on the right track.

Your body geometry won’t allow you to balance first with hands on the ground if you are upright. If you were to get balance first then you would only have one arm on the floor and you’d be leaning over to the side. Not the best way to move into no-armed balance, particularly because you are in an asymmetrical position.

In the rounded forward (not hunched!) position your body will be symmetrical which is a far better starting point for your outcome of sitting upright.

Here’s my guess: I think you are trying to move to hands-free position too quickly. You did actually use the term “trying to jump to prayer position”. You see, if I were leaning forward with hands on the floor, then coming up slowly with eyes fixed somewhere in space as I straighten up, as hands come together, I would simply go back to my starting point, forward, with hands on the ground again. Falling backwards seems to indicate that it’s all happening too fast and there’s some over-compensating going on!

So, your mission, if you are to accept it, is to disregard everything else, just notice that your eyes start at a fixed point, let them find that distance and defocus if they do, then slowly move your body and arms upward towards final position. Just disengage your hands or fingertips from the floor, at the same rate as your body moves upward. The hands will only come together at the last moment!m Maybe think of it as rounding rather than hunching forward!

Do tell me if that’s what you’ve been doing. I am still intuiting that the movement may just need slowing right down.

Remember you ARE balanced when you have your hands on the floor. Then with that balance already created, you are moving ever-IN-balance, upward. The tiny adjustments that you make, allow your body to do that, your hands to do that, without conscious thought.

And… tell me how you go!

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[luv2yoga]

#10663

Hi Gabrielle, I will continue working on this with your advice. At the point now with hands/finger tips on floor (back rounded) looking for balance.

Thanks

[Titi]

#21888

Hi Julie, I just wanted to reiterate what Gabrielle said about working on opening your hips. I honestly believe that without fully open hips it’s impossible to do toe stand. I believe once the muscles that open your hips have been opened and strengthened, then toe strand will happen naturally. You also might want to try a 60-day challenge to make that happen much faster. Nameste, Titi

• This reply was modified 6 years, 9 months ago by Titi.

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