TheHotYogaDoctor

Hi all… when I do this pose I swing my bent leg out as I bring it up so that it will bend down alongside my torso rather than straight in and compress it laterally. I do this because it is how I interpret the instructions given. Is this correct? I also hear my instructor say, “this is massaging your ascending/descending colon” but when my leg is alongside rather than on top, I just don’t see how it’s accomplishing that.

Hi Micherie

Yes, you are right you do want to avoid compressing your chest with your knee. The movement is subtle though. As I can’t see you I don’t know the extent to which you move your leg out first. You can try lifting your leg up squarely and as you knee approaches your chest you simply move it a little laterally. The compression you feel in your abdomen may not feel very obvious. It can depend on your body shape too! There is the compression of the leg and against the colon directly (shape dependent). Plus there is the hydraulic pressure of the organs creating a reciprocal effect between muscles and organs. This can be achieved not only by holding the tummy in (and activating the core) but by also sucking the tummy in.

Namaste
Gabrielle