Abdomen Parallel to Floor

Hello Miss Belle

Thank you! And you’re welcome. I am happy that you’ve found some great success.

As is most often the case, the question you ask probably has an answer that starts with other questions. 😉 I cannot assume you are doing the pose ‘correctly’ because then I might be missing something. I have to make no assumptions. I will be asking you to try to describe your pose as accurately as you can. That can be difficult when we only have words but working together, we’ll definitely get there.

Firstly, I need to know more about your experience in the pose.
> Do you go to a script-only studio?
> If yes, then are you ‘charging your body toward the mirror’ as your modus operandi?
> Are you able to describe what your pose looks like? How close might one describe your legs to being in the splits? If they’re not close to that, then …
> Can you tell me if the thigh of your upper leg is parallel to the floor? Ask someone to look for you one day after class or look at yourself in the mirror when you’re standing alongside the mirror. Or is your thigh at a 30 or 45 degree angle to the floor, angling upward? Generally your lower half of the leg tends to be either parallel to the back wall or coming forward toward your body. Which is it for you? And maybe give me some idea of that shape or angle.
> How high is your arm in front of you?
> What is the shape of your back? Often the shape is a curve from hips to waist and then waist to chest is parallel to the floor.
> When you are in the pose, are you extending the arm forward parallel to the floor as a matter of course? Does that what you do every time you are in the pose as soon as you enter?
> When you say you are struggling, is that a figurative expression, or are you able to locate the source of your struggle? Are you struggling to maintain balance at all?

I know I can ask more, but let’s just start with the above! 😉

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Miss Belle

While the emphasis might be more on one thing than the other (ie more on leg than charging forward), unfortunately that doesn’t stop your unconscious mind trying to obey the instruction. That’s just the neurophysiological truth of the matter. The ‘charging forward’ command is affecting your balance, your back shape and other aspects of your pose.

I am pleased there is an emphasis on kick up and back. Let’s refine that. (Points later on)

Now for chin to shoulder instructions. This command is a misinterpretation of an action that doesn’t actually create the results you want.

One of the big problems with verbatim (or close to verbatim) dialog is that it’s taking you STRAIGHT into what the diehard Bikram devotees consider to be the ideal pose of a super flexible person (who may also happen to be competing in the yoga championships). The problem with that is that it doesn’t embrace yoga philosophy. It’s also the reason why new students are unable to understand the instruction with clarity (and have to watch and build their understanding through what is way too much trial and error over too long a time). The instruction we’re used to hearing in script studios tells a flexible and frequent practitioner how to get into a pose, with much ambiguity and not enough clarity. Generally beginners are left to work it out for themselves. In the case of this particular pose: The dialog takes students from standing, to standing splits but doesn’t specify more than the gross actions a very basic set-up charge, kick, stay there and kick, release. And that’s all.

Similarly in you’re told in Pada Hastasana to “lock your knees lock your knees lock your knees” and there might be nobody at all or even less than a handful of people who can do that in a packed yoga room. The instruction is not specific enough for those who happen to be in the room and doesn’t give the actual details of the actions required or a description of what you should look like if your knees are not locked (95% of people). A fair whack of the instruction that most hot yogis is hearing basically has people believing that their pose is really only perfect at the ideal endpoint rather than perfect at the point they are at. It’s got everything to do with technique.

So I am going to have to ask you to take a leap of faith and ignore 2 very important instructions you have heard forever and just pretend that you don’t hear them or compute them. In the meantime you’ll be substituting them with better, more specific instruction and you’ll be checking into your body (how very yoga of you!) and paying attention to where you’re body is creating and dependent on the forces of traction, strength and release that you feel as you set up, enter and exit.

Are you with me? By the way, full photographs and explanations are on pages 120-129 of my book (Hot Yoga MasterClass).

So, what you actually need to do is this:
>> Stand, feet parallel (line up the feet so that the feet are touching usually along the big toes, not ankles necessarily touching each other, there may be a small space between your heels, this way hips and knees are already square and not fanning out at all) engage both legs to keep your hips even, then pick up your foot as usual.
>> Arm up, don’t make it touch the side of your head. When it’s up there make sure the shoulder blade is dropped down and back. This will in all likelihood introduce a little space between head and arm, but your chin will be up parallel to the floor and you’ll already feel more graceful and purposeful in your new stance.
>> The knees by the way, don’t touch. To touch them means to push them together and this already twists your hips. So keep the hips square and create a little traction by simply pushing the knee back enough to feel the beginnings of your pose without entering it. That’s your starting point.
>> When you are given the cue to enter you will do 2 things differently. 1: ONLY drive your pose by pushing your knee back up toward the ceiling at the same time as your shin moving toward the back wall. These 2 actions are separate things you can focus on. They are what pull your arm into that wonderful traction. And 2: Keep your front arm high the whole time. Resist it coming forward. If it drops (a la ‘charging forward and chin to shoulder’ style’) then lift it up again. If you notice your chin dropping, then lift it again so that your head and neck are relaxed and your chin is parallel to the floor.

Notice how you stay in traction in your body and arm and you form that wonderful arc in your back the whole time. It feels amazing. You’ll get to a certain point where you can’t create any more arc. At this sign you pivot (the whole parabolic shape from lifted arm to kicking leg through that arc of a spine) around your hip to bring your abdomen down parallel to the floor.

That is more than enough to work with for now.
I really look forward to hearing about your experience.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂