How do I get my body on my legs in a forward bend?

i have another question that do yoga practice daily but when i try to do poses like siting wideangle pose in that pose i am not able to touch the floor….while doing uttanaasana i am not able to touch my knnees…plz suggest something
Posted by fatima on 01/22 at 08:06 AM

Hello again Fatima

Your poses aren’t Hot Yoga poses but I can definitely see how you can get more leverage on your stretches and get what you want! 😉 I would modify the uttanasana slightly to incorporate a strong active stretch component… In doing so you will work a deeper stretch through the whole back side of the body. It will transform this pose into the Bikram pose called Padahastasana or Hands to Feet pose.
Much of the principle involved is within the text at Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga.

In place of Uttanasana, bend the legs to ALWAYS keep the body and chest sandwiched tightly against the thighs. Instead of hands either on the floor or behind the ankles, bring the fingers underneath the heels directly from behind. When you pull on your heels make your focus lifting the hips while squashing the body on the legs, NOT straightening your legs. Straight legs is the cherry on the top and is NOT necessary to get the stretch. The more you pull with your biceps and try to get your elbows behind, the more you will feel a great stretch. The more you pull the more you will feel the stretch through your back as well as your hamstrings and tone your arms in the bargain. Keep lifting the hips. Drop some weight into the toes. Why this works well is that it uses something called the clasp knife reflex (that you can Google for more info if you like or check out the anatomy book recommended below).

In Wide Angle Pose you need to get more length in your inner thighs (or your adductors). Using the same principle you can prepare for this by sitting with your back against a wall, legs straight out wide for your stretch. You will need someone else to hold your legs apart wide while you resist this and pull your legs in against their grip in an isometric fashion. Use your adductors as much as you can and then massage or rub the ‘cordlike’ structures at the top of the inner thigh for about a minute. You should feel them gradually release. The effects of this single exercise lasts for a couple of days. So try your pose straight after and stay in it for a few minutes.

I do teach these things in my studio for students who need specific stretches. If you need help in understanding these concepts or are interested in reading an easy to read anatomy book (really!) then check out David Coulter’s Anatomy of Hatha Yoga. David explains things very well and clearly. I paraphrased his exercise from page 42 of his book in the previous paragraph.

Have fun stretching yourself
Gabrielle 🙂