The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Suptavajrasana › Tightness along tops of my feet
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Suptavajrasana › Tightness along tops of my feet
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Hi Gabrielle,
I think this is the right place for this…
I have been working on strengthening the bottoms of my feet but did have a thought about a difficulty I have with my feet in fixed firm pose, (though I know it as saddleback) and wondered if this is related to the difficulty I’m facing with the bottoms of my feet falling asleep after the awkward series & eagle poses.
I am fairly flexible given that I’m overweight (about 25 pounds) and prior to starting hot yoga in Sept. 2009, haven’t had regular exercise in years. So I’m frustrated in fixed firm when my butt is on the ground, my knees are fine, but I am limited from bringing my shoulders back because of an almost painful tension in my feet – I would approximate it to be across the front of my feet, just below the ankle when I try to lower down while keeping my heels pointing to the ceiling. Is this normal? And more importantly, what can I do to loosen this up?
Many thanks in advance, Ilonka
Hi Ilonka
Yes, this is the right place for your question.
Here’s what you can do! Just stop before the painful tension and just breathe into that area. Any frustration and tension you create by going too far back (or being unduly concerned about it) could create difficulties in surrendering to the pose. So try to let go of your body AND especially the expectation that you should be somewhere else in the pose.
Yoga is ideal because it teaches you to be happy with what you’ve got or where you are! So just let it go. (Just confirm for me: Are you somewhere between being back on your elbows and with your shoulders on the ground?)
The other poses that will help you are Standing Bow and Floor Bow. Regardless of your flexibility in Standing Bow I would hold my foot and not my ankle with my hand. Place your hand across the foot opposite the ball of the foot and not at the arch. When you kick back and up you will feel the area in question getting a beautiful stretch. It won’t happen for you if you are holding at the ankle.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Ahh..advice so simple and so difficult. I will try to let go of my expectations. I find my ‘monkey brain’ one of the most challenging aspects of my practice. Most of the time I can tune it out, but lately it’s becoming more and more of a distraction.
To confirm my position – I am leaning back on my wrists; I haven’t got my elbows down to the ground yet. My heels, (toes pointed back, feet flat), are still turning in towards my hips and as I keep straightening them out, the tension keeps me from getting further down.
<> Brilliant – of course. I’ll report back after trying this, but I can already see how that will help.
😆 Thanks so much, Ilonka 😆
Hi Ilonka
What can I say? It’s just patience for you. I assume you have your fingers facing forward. Just keep testing the waters and bending your elbows. Have you tried separating your knees a little. And of course your butt has to stay firmly on the floor.
I would love to hear of your progress.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Yay!! I went down to my elbows yesterday (wih fingers facing forward). It was still tight and my knees were further apart, but it felt good.
I think I need to make sure I don’t go too far too soon – but this progress makes me happy. I know everyone here agrees, but I’ll say it anyway — I love hot yoga!!
Ilonka
Anonymous
GuestApril 28, 2010 at 2:40 amPost count: 98I have the same exact problem. Total pain on the tops of the feet! It helped me to make sure that my knees were quite far apart and that my foot alignment was proper (i.e. toes in line with the heels as much as possible, and parallel to my leg, not skewed pointing outwards or inwards). Now all I get is a massive arch cramp! Ah, the joys of Hot Yoga. You’ll get there. It took me 8 months, but I’m finally down on the floor. Kieep at it…
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