Veteran
Posts: 163
 
| Hi LittleBear.....no, you are not horribly disfigured! 
I had this problem too. So the difficulty is that there IS an Ashtanga body type that has an easier time.....long arms, high center of gravity, etc. The fact that most pure Ashtanga practices frown on props means that you have to use your body to get yourself into the poses. So in dandasana (seated with legs in front of you, trying to make an L with your body), put your hands flat on the ground by leaning over a bit and placing your hands lower on your body than right next to your hips. When you're at home, or if your teacher is OK with props for beginning practitioners, try putting two blocks on either side of your hips and putting your hands on those. Then lifting yourself off the ground is much easier for those of us who were born with "normal" length arms. Please don't try to lift yourself on your fingertips, you really need your whole hand. But with patience and with loving kindness toward your own body, you will be able to achieve your practice goals. Namaste.
Edited by Seeker101 2009-11-19 9:17 AM
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Member
Posts: 32
| You're probably not deformed. What it could well be about is your pectoral girdle. Lifting up is not just about pushing down with your arms, but about pushing down with your shoulders too. Unless you're very lucky, thats the only way you're gonna have the height to be able to swing back into the ashtanga jumpback.
Make sure your shoulders aren't up around your ears when you do it.
Its also worth saying that as you lift, you need to pull with your core muscles too, and that will bend and shorten your spine a little.
A lot of people struggle to jump back and through in ashtanga for years. Some people never ever manage it. It doesn't matter, and its not an indication of how 'good' your yoga is.
David Swenson, who has taught thousands, probably tens of thousands of ashtangis in workshops etc claims he has only ever met 1 person who could actually physically not jump through/back because of short arms. :-)
Practice and all is coming. |
| Hey! I have the same thing, can't reach the floor with my palms when sitting in Dandasana. And my shoulders are as far"down" as they can be. As for the jump backs, i think every body type can get them, *eventually*. But i'ts probably about findig the right thechnique for your body type.
At a workshop I attended with Kino Macgregor, she talked about the importance of building the foundation in you upper body to get the necessary lift. She explained it in a step-by-step manner, but some of the important points were grounding with the hands and making space bykinda "arching" the top of you back, the part between the shoulders. And then there is also the bandhas, especially the mula bandha to get the lift through the whole of the body. And still one has to figure out the shift of weight/muscle engagement to get the legs scooched through and back. I haven't figured it out quite yet either...think it's one of those things that will come eventually with practicing, practicing, practicing, practicing..... |
Regular
Posts: 86
Location: Jacksonville, Florida | I also have short arms. I have to hunch my back, sure to keep my shoulder blades back as far as I can; shoulders are down away from ears; and looking as far forward or up as I can. The moula banda is definitely engaged, of course. The hands have to be not beside my hips but where my ankles will swing off the floor.
The same feeling I get when doing the full expression of dandasana with arm balance (for only a couple of breaths still).
I could never do that arms balance with a straight back (without riding my knuckles for it). And, besides, if it makes my cheruti easier I'm all for it. And the fact that both poses have a similar prep pose (which I think thins modification is) makes me think I am supposed to be doing it this way.
Good luck!
Edited by yogabear 2010-06-09 7:35 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 113
Location: Uppsala, Sweden | Yes, I believe you are horribly disfigured and missing something. You need to use the monkey mind of Hanuman, pray to Ganesha, and grow chimpanzee-like arms to do this part of vinyasa ;) ... Or take some advice from Gregor:
“PRACTICAL TIP
Toward Lollasana If you have difficulties with Lollasana, which is part of the jump back and jump through, use the following approach: Go down on your knees and place one ankle over the other. Now place your hands on either side of the knees and, inhaling, lift your knees off the floor and up to your chest. Count the number of breaths for which you can hold this position. Repeat the exercise daily, attempting to add one breath each day. When you have reached fifteen breaths, begin lifting your feet off as well. You will find this more difficult and the number of breaths will decrease. Work back up to ten breaths. If you make no progress, practice this exercise more than once a day. When you have reached ten breaths, start to swing back and forth slowly, keeping your feet clear of the floor. When you can swing for ten breaths, begin to increase the amplitude of the swinging movement. Increase the swing until you can press through from Lollasana into Downward Dog [or Chaturanga Dandasana (plank)] without touching the floor. Now attempt the same movement from sitting. It may take you a few days — or a few years — to execute this movement properly. Be patient.”
(p. 90, Ashtanga Yoga: Practice & Philosophy, by Gregor Maehle, 2006) Utpluthi/Tolasana is also a good and similar posture for this. If you are annoyed by your feet not getting off the floor, use a couple of blocks to elevate. Obviously some strength in your arms/shoulders, abdominals (bandhas), and hip flexors, as well as the flexibility of your spine, and timing of your breath, all play a part in the jump through and back.
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Seated poses question
