The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Dandayamana Janushirasana › Keeping Wrists straight?
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Dandayamana Janushirasana › Keeping Wrists straight?
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Some background info first: I’ve been doing Bikram for one year now (4-5 times a week) and love it. Since I am one of those people who like to get things right from the start and work on continuously improving, I was quite surprised to discover that meticulous attention to technique was an approach not shared by everyone. So I more or less decided to figure things out myself incorporating the tips on technique from the best teachers and improving my practice through, well, practice and focusing on my breathing, hara and correct alignment. (I was into zazen at university and also did ballet and modern dance for 9 years yonks ago.) I’ve been putting a lot of energy into figuring out and practising standing head to knee (amongst other postures) with the result that I have been receiving quite a lot of positive feedback from my instructors. For about 4 months I did not progress further than holding the pose with elbows below the calves and then I embarked on the excruciatingly difficult task of lowering my head to my knee – focusing on breathing and my hara. I was making reasonable progress until recently when I received the remark that I should straighten my wrists! Needless to say I was a little taken aback that I was corrected after about six months of having bent wrists! In an attempt to correct this what is by now thoroughly entrenched bad habit I have regressed two steps back. I have shifted my grip up a little to just below the toes to straighten the wrists, but the moment I start dropping my elbows my wrists start bending – can’t keep it straight! I do have weak wrists – never could hold a tennis racket properly – I think it got floppy from ballet 🙂 but needless to say I would appreciate advice on how to correct it very much! I suspect it might have to do with the fact that I’m holding on to the ball of my foot too tightly – to compensate for a hamstring problem I have had for a year now… Could this be part of the problem?
Hi Cyberry
There are some very concerning elements of your post. The first is the last thing you mentioned about your hamstring injury. Please would you go and see somebody about it? From personal experience which mirrors quite a number of other forum regulars this year, your injury may be being exacerbated by your practice. There is some damage there that is possibly a result of a weakness and some scar tissue. Please look around the forum for these posts. Here’s one such post: Chronically Painful Hamstring.
I would like more information about your hamstrings if you’re willing to provide it. I would probably avoid the extension in this pose or at least lowering elbows until you have more information from a physical therapist regarding rehabilitative exercises for your legs. Again see the posts.
I am concerned too that you could be shifting your grip mid pose around your foot to accommodate the ‘straight wrists’ instruction. So perhaps you can tell me this: Are you all set up and happy with the way your hands are until it’s time to lower your elbows? Is this when you adjust your hands? Where exactly are you gripping at these 2 or more positions?
Would you also please tell me more about this tight grip of yours around the ball of your foot? Where do you feel the tightness? I guess I can assume your thumbs are under your foot! Are they interlocked as well?
I would really love to hear what’s going on before I analyze this more. I have my strong suspicions. :cheese:
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
thanks for your post and concern – I can write a book about the hamstring issue but I’ll do my best to keep it as short as possible. Can’t do so now as I have to work! Will be back tonight, after class… :-)!
Hi Gabrielle,
Thanks for the reference – I have already read the posts with great interest. In brief: The area affected is deep, just below my right buttock. I have been having a hard time finding a good therapist, but 2 months ago I finally located someone who inspires confidence. I was given exercises to address it and was delighted to find that it made a huge difference. I have to confess though that I have been a a little slack lately due to illness and inability to go to the gym (where his practice is), which is why I’m more or less back to square one right now. But I’ve recently taken it up again.I asked about the yoga and he (and others) said I could continue my practice. However, my motto is if it hurts too much, slow down or don’t do it. So the way in which I have been, and still am, dealing with it is by sitting out of a number or parts of some poses. But never standing bow or standing head to knee. Not that these two are hurting but I do feel it. Regarding standing head to knee: somehow it’s never been painful enough for me to not kick out or lower elbows. I am vaguely aware of the pain though, which makes me a little ‘afraid’ and possibly throws me off balance when I start rounding to touch my forehead to knee. I don’t know…
As for the grip: I should rather say I adjusted my grip and I do this already in the first phase of the posture. Thus, not only after kicking out. I adjusted my grip after having been told to do so whilst in the sitting head to knee position – and somehow made the connection that if the grip was not correct, perhaps that explained the bent wrists (I might be completely wrong, but at least my grip is better positioned than before). Thumbs are very much under the foot but whilst they interlock while kicking out and holding it, when I bend my elbows down, they do move a little and don’t stay interlocked. They do remain under the foot just below the toes.
Look forward to your response – I hope I’m making sense…
Hi Cyberry
I want to answer this soon. We are not at home and the laptop I am using has a temperamental U key. It is taking me too long to formUlate my messages!!!! Yikes. Stay tUned. :cheese:
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Cyberry
I am pleased that you are limiting the pose participation where you feel the need. If your face is strained or you have more than regular tension in your leg then don’t do the pose at all. I am also pleased that this episode of interaction may be inspiring you to get back to your therapy! :cheese:
I would like to examine more about your grip… When you are in first part of the pose, does your foot rest on the entire area from mid-palm to mid-palm resting also on your fully interlocked fingers? OR When you interlock fingers and thumbs is your foot largely supported with the interlocked thumbs like a bridge suspended over your fingers?
And another point of clarification (and I know these will really help me get some deep understanding) you are really talking about a straight line that your instructors are asking you to work on seen from the side angling down from the foot to the elbow… Right? I am assuming it is not that your wrists are bending wide out to the sides.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
Thank you for your response and encouraging words. I’m sure you can imagine it is not pleasant having struggled with this injury for so long and having to sit out of certain postures.
Regarding your question about the grip: my foot is indeed supported by my palms and interlocked fingers and you’re correct to assume that it is the straight line that is at stake here.
Is that sufficient information? I can easily send you a photograph if you like 🙂
Many thanks in advance!
FHi Cyberry
Here’s the thing. When you are in:
>> part one your wrists are straight. There’s a pretty straight line from shoulder to hands. I’m good with that!
>> part 2 you are ‘hanging from your foot’. Your toes are flexed back and you create this great traction through your arms. No problems – your wrists are straight.
>> you start the pose with your hands in a position and for the rest of your pose your grip position does not change. This is where one of the alarm bells is ringing for me. I don’t understand how what appears to be from your words, a good pose has to change because of an one-size-fits-all command that doesn’t seem to fit your body geometry.
I am more than happy to receive photos from you. Send them to my email address.
Many people will have straight wrists. But what if you have very long arms (or long hands). Or what if you are less or more flexible and get your elbows at varying positions relative to your calf muscles?
What I would be focusing on is your ability to:
>> keep the shoulders down and back and not using power from them to position your elbows but rather to help you get your elbows down
>> use the biceps as the energy source for arm position
>> keep your hands relaxed, pulling back on your flexed foot
>> maintaining the traction in your leg by continually pushing the heel away while applying pressure of fingers against toes.If your wrists bend a bit let them. It may be because they have to because your elbows are low (see above). If you have to change your hands, what’s that doing to your grip? From what I am reading you don’t seem to be learning something that is actually helping you progress.
Last thought: I could be wrong here, there could be some element I haven’t understood, or some basic technique you haven’t grasped that hasn’t come across in our words. I am pretty sure I have the information that I need to be confident. If this doesn’t make sense then send me the pics!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
Thanks for your detailed response and sorry for the delay in my reply. What you say makes sense but it just not work out that way for me… I think I might be holding on to my foot too tightly, that might be it, I don’t know. I will take or have some pics taken this weekend and send them to you!
Regards
FHi Cyberry
Yes please, do send me the pics. You have my email address…
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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