The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Sasangasana › Cannot get forehead to knees
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Sasangasana › Cannot get forehead to knees
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I am fairly new to hot yoga. The pose I struggle with the most is probably rabbit. I cannot get my forehead to touch my knees no matter how close I tuck my chin as I go down into the pose and I can’t do it by walking my knees forward either (once I’m in the pose). Any suggestions? Will it get easier as I keep trying to get into the pose in future classes?
Hello Heather
It is less important to get your forehead to your knees than it is to keep your chin tucked! What you need to do is simply work on the roundness in your back, particularly your lower back as this is probably where you have flatness. It may get easier in the future (and it may not!) but technique is the key.
You must make sure that the stretch you feel is felt expanding your mid-lower vertebrae in preference to a strain or stretch across the shoulders. Let me know if you are feeling it in the right place and we can go from there. Also let me know if you feel that your head is resting or pushing into the floor.
Other things to pay attention to:
@ Make sure you pull strongly against RELAXED feet.
@ Make sure your shoulders are away from the ears.
@ And you push your shins and knees into the floor as you raise your hips.
@ Sucking in your stomach aids in compression as well as helping you round up.
@ Try to work your heels together.That’s good for starters. Please answer the other questions above to confirm we are on the right track!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
Good to know that it’s more important to keep the chin tucked. I have been focusing on that. I find it difficult to grab hold of my feet while doing it though. To answer your questions, I have started feeling it in my low vertebrae but my head does feel a bit heavy to the floor. I haven’t thought about making sure my feet are relaxed and that my shoulders are away from my ears. I will try that too. Thanks for your help.
Hello Heather
I am very happy for your positive results. All it takes it to practice and notice one thing at a time. Gradually all these little elements will come together into your awareness to give you a very powerful and satisfying pose.
Keep us posted
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂I can’t get my head to my knees because I have too much boobs and belly in the way. My head touches on the floor probably three inches away. I also have to keep my heels a few inches apart in order to keep a grip. I’m sure it won’t be physically possible to touch my head to my knees until I loose some padding but my question is, should I be lifting my hips or just sticking with the point where I touch my head to the floor?
I was wondering about the importance of the head touching the knees. My teachers keep saying “your head must touch your knees!” Whenever I try to touch my head to my knees, it really hurts my neck and my body just won’t go there.
Any advice?
Kristin
Hi Kristin
I am assuming that you are talking about getting your head to the knee when your hips are up in the pose. I wonder if when you force your head to your knees (or ‘walk’ your knees to your head as is instructed) if your arms are still straight and if you are now feeling much more pressure of your head against the floor. I also think your hips would no longer be able to lift as high and the overall direction of your movement is forward (instead of up).
Don’t worry about it! If your head to your knee means pain in the neck then you are doing something wrong. My guess is that if you do this when your body is neither designed nor ready to make this movement then you are sacrificing other important parts of this pose and possibly transforming it into a risky proposition.
Remember that what you are searching for is a wonderful feeling through your back which centers more over the midback and lower back and definitely NOT in the neck and the shoulders. What you also must have are straight arms as you pull from your heels, and lift hips up. I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention in passing that your chin has to be tucked (but you are probably already doing that!) It should feel natural (as natural as it can!!!) energetically speaking. Keep the basics of this pose and create the right tractions and that’s what you need.
Not everyone can get their head and knees touching. It is NOT a required event. There are very compelling reasons why both flexible and inflexible people can NOT do this. Your outcome is to benefit.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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