Back is bending once my chest is parallel to the floor

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enigma185
Participant

May 31, 2013 at 1:17 pm

Post count: 1

#2527

Hi,

I really love this pose, but my problem is that my back always starts to bend once my upper body is parallel to the floor and I am loosing the curvature in the spine. I have already read this article about bending the knees: https://www.hotyogadoctor.com/index.php/site/comments/opening-up-your-hamstrings-with-hot-yoga/
but it only made the bended back marginally better. So assume that my problem must lay somewhere else.

Are there any tests I can do to see which muscle is the culprit?

Robert Scanlon (Webmaster)
Forum Owner

June 5, 2013 at 2:17 pm

Post count: 266

#10527

Just a quick follow up to let you know we haven’t forgotten about you!

Gabrielle is currently travelling in Europe (on a well-deserved break!) and is only slowly attending to forum posts.

For what it is worth, you may still want to try bending your legs more dramatically – and don’t even try to go further with your back once it begins to lose the flatter form. (Note that this is generally opposite to advice given by ‘dialog/script followers.)

It could well be simply very tight hamstrings; shoulder tensions (have you tried putting attention on releasing your shoulders?).

How does this pose compare to “hands-to-feet”? Do you have the same issues there?

Gabrielle I am sure will add much depth to a response and questions for you – stay tuned!

And welcome to the forum 😉

Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)
Forum Owner

June 21, 2013 at 4:59 pm

Post count: 3048

#10536

Hi Steve

As Robert has mentioned, your hamstrings may be tight, and equally it could be your lower back, your calves, or upper back around the shoulders and thoracic spine. There are complex interrelations of the muscles and how the reflexes work to open up and/or protect the body.

The mechanism is not just used in the sep leg stretch exercise. It is used in hands to feet, a correctly performed sit-up, and paschimottanasana. So to discover where else may be your issue, we could go through some questions about those poses.

Would you like to work systematically through the poses?

A short diagnosis of those poses and we can work out if it is here (that mechanism) or whether it is some other nuance in another part of your practice.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂
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