The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Ardha Khurmasana › Ardha Khurmasana
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Ardha Khurmasana › Ardha Khurmasana
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I’ve been practicing for about 4 years and have made great progress on every pose, EXCEPT Ardha Khurmasana. My hips simply will not stay down. Once I begin to lean forward during the setup, I reach to about about 45° and my hips pop up. During the posture, I feel a great stretch in my shoulders/scapula, but even after consciously trying for 2 years, it doesn’t seem that my hips have moved one bit closer to my heels. When coming out of the posture, I can’t seem to find the leverage to lift my head/arms off the towel without using some of my arm strength to get off the ground. I thought I’ve built a pretty strong core over the years, but maybe there are some additional exercises I could be doing to improve here?
Hewwo wabbit 😉
As usual I may need some help to drill down. So I will mention some likely culprits and you can either confirm that this is the case by checking into your body or give me additional information. Here goes:
It is very common for people with tightness anywhere in the torso or shoulders to get to a point where they can no longer stay ‘ironed’ out. The following will happen either separately or at the same time: Your chin will drop a bit, your arms will drop with it a little as your shoulders tense up, you chest closes up a bit AND of course the other is the hips lifting up.
If you have read my manual or seen a pose tutorial or maybe have found it on the forum then you know that I believe that often to squeeze your head with your arms CAN be a problem for some as it introduces tensions that can upset your pose. Let me know if this is your problem.
Hips lifting can also be associated with the feeling that you are diving forward with varying amounts of control (or lack thereof).
The other thing I would like you to check on is your ability to use that strong core of yours along with squeezing your knees together on entry and exit. Intentionally try to lift your pelvic floor – ie go beyond just sucking in your stomach.
It is great that you feel the stretch in your upper torso during the pose so the above is particularly about the entry and exit.
Has anyone ever come to assist you with your hips during this pose? And if so when precisely during the pose did they do it?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Herrow to you!
It is very common for people with tightness anywhere in the torso or shoulders to get to a point where they can no longer stay ‘ironed’ out. The following will happen either separately or at the same time: Your chin will drop a bit, your arms will drop with it a little as your shoulders tense up, you chest closes up a bit AND of course the other is the hips lifting up.
In the pose, my chin is forward, nose is raking the towel, arms are up, shoulders are “stretching” … is that the same as tensing up? Chest “feels” open.
If you have read my manual or seen a pose tutorial or maybe have found it on the forum then you know that I believe that often to squeeze your head with your arms CAN be a problem for some as it introduces tensions that can upset your pose. Let me know if this is your problem.
I was a swimmer, and my shoulders have become super-flexible with the yoga. I have to be conscious to keep my biceps WITH my ears, versus extending WAY behind my head in half-moon, etc. Not sure if this is relevant to your question about squeezing head with arms being a problem … it feels like a natural position for me without any tension at all.
The other thing I would like you to check on is your ability to use that strong core of yours along with squeezing your knees together on entry and exit. Intentionally try to lift your pelvic floor – ie go beyond just sucking in your stomach.
Yes to squeezing knees together … Curious about pelvic floor vs sucking in stomach … in fact, I don’t think I know where my pelvic floor IS? 🙂 This could be a clue!
Has anyone ever come to assist you with your hips during this pose? And if so when precisely during the pose did they do it?
None of my day-to-day instructors have given any physical assistance. I attended a posture clinic two years ago, which is when I first started being conscious about this particular pose. The instructor did a bit of diagnosis with me and suggested it might just be my anatomy, and to continue to work on the entry/exit. At that time, I was literally “falling” onto the towel during set-up, and had to push myself off the towel to get up. I’ve definitely improved since then, but seem to be “stuck” for about a year. Others seem to go in and out with such ease, and I just continue to “try”. (I know, it’s not a competition! 🙄 ) So maybe that’s all there is for me (for now) on this one?
Wabbit,
I’ve been doing yoga for about 4 years (Bikram for 1 1/2 years) and have the same problem. I am getting a lot closer to keeping my hips down by following the principles in Gabrielle and Robert’s pose tutorial–especially squeezing my knees together while going into and out of the pose. I do believe that part of my problem is my anatomy. I don’t know if my legs are too long, too thick or whatever but–if I put my butt on my heels, my chin is basically touching my knees. I’m also pretty busty so I think that gets in the way too.Another thing that has helped get closer–my ankle alignment has changed as I have been doing Bikram. Initially, my heels would spread apart in this pose. Now I can put my feel flat on the floor and my heels are pretty close together. This raises the heels and bets them closer to my bottom. I don’t know if that’s cheating–oh well. I starting making a conscious effort to do this once an instructor pointed it out to me.
Finally–is it not ok to have your arms behind your ears? I usually do.
Hi Cindy
Ideally the tops of your feet should be on the floor so that your heels are together. That is best technique and you start and stay in better alignment.
Generally speaking if your arms are behind your ears then maybe your head is dropping down. Unless of course you have super flexible shoulders.
Hi wabbit
If I am understanding you then it would seem that your spine could be in alignment. You try to land your forehead as far away from you knees as possible.
I am glad to hear that you are not creating undue tension in your shoulders. There should be a space between arms and neck (no muscles from tops of shoulders encroaching on the space).
Re pelvic floor: Aha! Something tangible for you to work on. Do you need help for core strength? First port of call that is handy is my free video. It’s a simple effective exercise. There are plenty of things you can do. Important is to know how to activate them in this static pose series.
Regarding the last point about assistance we can talk via the PM system. Drop me a line if I don’t get round to it first! I am off to spend some time with the family…
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Yogalifer: I was corrected by an instructor recently in half-moon to keep my biceps with my ears, not behind. This creates a straighter line, so I’m told. It felt awkward at first but I do feel a deeper stretching feeling right where it counts.
Gabrielle: In Ardha Khurmasana, all of my teachers say to stretch your arms forward, shoulders scapula coming out of the body. When you say there should be a space between arms and neck, is that a different way of teaching this pose, or can both be happening at the same time?
I watched your core strength video (the one with the ball at your low back, right?) I’ll start working this into my routine. I’ve noticed in class that I have a lot of ab strength when I “crunch”, but I’m really weak in this extended position, and obviously the way I’m trying this pose isn’t making it any stronger. I think this will make a difference! I’ll let you know.
Hello wabbit
Regarding arms by ears, there are differences in flexibility but you are right generally speaking you want the arms at the side of the head. I think this helps you enter and exit far more easily and keeping to the principles of the pose.
Regarding shoulders: It is a real paradox that extending the shoulders out of the body actually doesn’t make the body longer. It actually sets up a whole lot of tension and strain that is absolutely not useful. Your job is to drop the shoulders while extending the body and the arms. 😉
Sounds weird but it works so much better. It will mean that you can keep that chin away from the chest and it will make it easier to do the last part of the pose which is lifting through wrists and elbows.
Please do keep me posted on how your core strength develops.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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