The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimottanasana › The Bent Leg Controversy
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimottanasana › The Bent Leg Controversy
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Gabrielle,
You are famous! 😉Yesterday in my Bikram class, the instructor pointed out to everyone that–in Bikram–this pose is done with straight legs. She said that she knows that some Hot Yoga websites–like hotyogadoctor.com–recommend bending the knees. She wasn’t critical, she just said that we need to do the pose with straight legs. She pointed out that it is two different schools of thought.
I happen to agree with you. Your pictures and discussion all make sense to me. Luckily my hamstrings are flexible enough now that I can get the spine stretching benefit with straight legs. However, for several months I didn’t get any benefit out of the pose at all because I had a hamstring injury and the instructors wouldn’t allow me to bend my knees. So… I just put my hands on the floor in front of me and hung out until we moved on to the next pose.
Actually, one time I was doing the pose with my knees bent and the instructor snapped at me to straighten my legs and to stop bending my knees to try to get my forehead on the floor. :ahhh: I thought that was pretty presumptuous and just plain wrong. I just went with the flow, though.
After my year membership is up, I think that I might explore hot yoga options in town rather than Bikram. I love Bikram classes and I understand why he wants his instructors to teach what he believes is right. I expect that he feels as strongly about straight legs as you do about bent ones. However, I am feeling like the Bikram approach is a little rigid and would love a little more class-by-class teaching rather than the standard dialogue.
Hmmm, didn’t intend to go so in depth. I really just wanted to tell you about the controversy.
Namaste,
CindyHi Cindy
Thanks! :cheese:
It’s an interesting topic. One of the things I guess we can all relate to is a rule that we adhere to (or are taught to adhere to) in our every day lives.
So for those of you who need it 😉 (because not everyone has tried the bent legs technique) here is a logical left-brain way of providing some extra evidence. You would never bend down to pick up a box from the floor with straight legs. It would put tremendous strain on your back and so on. In fact this is a major cause of injury out there ‘in the real world’. You would bend your legs and pick up the load maintaining a straight back as a priority. There are other mechanical concepts at play here but I shall leave at that for today. Even with that concept alone, you can distill that idea down and relate it to your yoga class.
Looking for more information about this technique then here are a couple of links. This is one of the discussions we had about this: Locked Legs and Hamstrings Injury. Within it is another link to a blog with photos which will explain the technique Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga.
It feels great to be making a difference. The best thing is that people are talking and exploring options, working out what works in their bodies.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Funny thing is that my studio also encourages bent leg. Don’t know if this is in part about when some where trained. But some teachers feel really, really, really, really strongly about this.
I do find it strange that straight legs (rather than a straight back) is encouraged in this posture, when in the last deep stretching position a straight back is emphasised. Gabrielle’s view makes much more sense to me. I have a strong curve in my upper back and I won’t be able to straighten it properly unless I focus on that (rather than my hamstrings). My hamstrings are quite flexible, it is my stiff back which is holding me back more. Gabrielle, do you have any advice on what I should be focusing on to try and straighten this out?
Hi Kelly
Thank you so much!
Here’s something to focus on if you aren’t already, it’s putting your elbows in your back pockets. Have you seen the video: A Transformational Technique For Your Practice, For Your Life. This technique can be the difference for you that makes the difference. You can apply it to just about every pose. It will even help you focus your energies on this one. 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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