The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana › Positioning of hands
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This is a pose I would very much like more clarity about. Generally in class no mention is made that the hands should touch the toes, the focus is on the hips, head to knee, and straight legs. I have noticed that some are able, and it’s been suggested to me that I too, draw up my arms and touch my toes with the tips of my fingers. My legs are straight and my forehead touches my knee but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to touch my toes. I have longish arms but still. Is it my back that is not flexible enough that is preventing me from being able to do this? If so what can I do to improve?
Hi Cyberry
Please confirm that you have been told that when you are ready to put your hands in prayer position that your fingers should touch at your toes.
In short, where your hands land is a function of arm length. Sure your back roundness enters into the equation. Short arms will land closer, long arms will land further away.
Take a look at the Pose Gallery image. In order to get her hands to touch her feet she would most likely have to introduce tension in her shoulders and neck and arm.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
Not sure I’m following you.
Hands are in prayer position from the start. Due to long arms my hands, in prayer, naturally land about 15-20cm from the tip of toes. I have personally been instructed to touch my toes which drew my attention to the fact that there are some other people( the ‘professionals’!) in class who are actually able to do this! And it’s not like they have exceptionally short arms 🙂 So I assumed this is the next level to work towards.
Tension in neck and shoulders? I don’t follow, sorry for being slow.
Hi Cyberry
I made an assumption that like most students you came down with hands in prayer, placed your hands on the floor beside your feet and then placed them in prayer position out in front of your feet.
The reason for this… most people have to make adjustments in their hips to swivel them or make sure they are in optimum alignment before bringing hands in prayer again.
If you have perfect alignment on the way in and that continues then there is less reason to place your hands on the floor. The other reason to put them there is to get maximum leverage on the spinal compression and may allow you to climb your forehead further up your leg. Most students approach it this way placing hands out afterwards (sometimes is because of balance difficulties).
Re tension in neck and shoulders: There is a set distance of the length from knee to toes, and also in the length of your arms. If your forehead is on your knee and you are trying to get long arms to contact 15-20 cms closer in then I am simply suggesting that you could be setting up an impossible scenario where you have to create tension in your arms and upper body in order to create what I consider to be an unreasonable position – for your particular body.
Traction is what you are trying to create in your arms. A one-size-fits-all target of fingers to toes does not make any sense to me at all. And no, you are not slow!!!! We’re both simply only trying to get some clarity. 😆
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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