Hi Deb
A quick question: when you say
but if I get down low enough to get my hands under my heals, that’s where I’m Staying!
do you mean that once your hands are under your heels…
a) you can only get your hands there, can’t do the pose, your legs stay bent, your body crouched and you can’t lift your hips up and then the only way to get out of the pose is to help yourself up off the floor
OR
b) you get your hands there, and can lift your hips up and feel some kind of stretch and THEN can only get out of the pose by helping yourself up off the floor!
So far from what I have learned from your post, I think you are doing the right thing. Let’s just see what results you are getting. So please answer the questions above.
I would much rather see you grab the back of your ankles as you have been doing than holding from the sides of your feet under your arches.
The other thing to do (Lee you may like to try this as well!) is make the distance between your feet wider. Yes, the teachers may tell you to keep your feet together but try it with your feet hip width apart (at least once 😉 ).
You say you are not aware of much progress. Don’t be so concerned about THIS pose, but moreover how you can get similar mechanisms working in the rest of the class: in Standing Sep Leg Intense Stretch, see the blog posting Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga, and in Floor head to knee and Intense Stretch poses.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂
