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| Any bikramites out there who can touch their elbows in the third part of Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon?? How do you do it?? Where do you need the flexibility or relaxation? I can get my hands under my heels, pinkie-to-pinkie, fully extend my legs while keeping my chest on thighs, but I can't figure out the source of getting that extra bit. Maybe my body isn't made for it. |
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| Between your hip sockets and your ASIS ( Anterior Superior Iliiacus Spine) you can get alot more length. Your sacrum will open up and the lower spine will lengthen very much. Once your chest is on your knees their should be enough space to get your elbows together. I am assuming that something is in the way, that you can not get your elbows together. Anyway, this is not that important, the benifit is to open the hips and spine. Why would you want to get your elbows together? I have not done it because it never seemed that important. What would it mean to you if you can do it? Do you want more? Does your body ask for a bigger release and elbows together would do it? I like to balance what I got as a primary focus, not more, or further. Funny thing is that the better I balance what I got, my body naturally goes further without the dictates of my own mind. Think of what the goal oriented mind does to the deeper core and spirit under the stress of idealized images of success. I have seen many students look very good on the outside in their practice only to see a distorted deeper core and the soul longing to be heard and accepted. Yoga is about balance and harmony, which makes you a better person. Was a teacher telling you to try to bring your elbows together? Elbows together does change the posture a little but is far from the core intention. It is just touch up work, something that can be brought in when it is easy. Try to get your forehead to the front of your ankles first and process and release all the internal stuff that comes up as you do. This is what I mean by balancing what I got. I do the posture, stuff comes up on different levels and I let them come into harmony, then a miracle happens, my body goes further. |
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| Thanks for the descrip on where further opening and lengthening comes from. I'm not sure what is in the way for me. No, it's not important to me that my elbows come together. Some instructors just add the comment "and, eventually your head will touch your feet and your elbows will touch". I just wondered how 'cause at this time I can't feel from where that extra bit comes.
I'm pretty content with my standing head to feet. My forhead is about halfway to three-quarters down my shins, legs extended and chest on quads. I'm happy to hang out there, but am looking for ways to improve when I am at that point. Sometimes, I am really stiff in my hamstrings and it's all I can do to balance and extend my legs.
It's different every time. The more I practice bikram, the more that I know this is true. |
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| Has anybody really touched their feet with their head--I've not seen it in person nor pictures. Then I got to thinking, why would anybody want to? |
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| Brother Bruce:
Belive me, though it is difficult. Only one of my student, so far, she can touch her head to her feet with straight legs, and bending forward in a standing pose. She compensates for others!!!
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| kulkarnn - 2005-01-12 2:04 PM
Brother Bruce:
Belive me, though it is difficult. Only one of my student, so far, she can touch her head to her feet with straight legs, and bending forward in a standing pose. She compensates for others!!!
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org
Wow! |
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| Bruce - 2005-01-12 7:48 AM
Has anybody really touched their feet with their head--I've not seen it in person nor pictures. Then I got to thinking, why would anybody want to?
I'm pretty close to it. I think some would want to because having a flexible and pliable body helps prevent muscle injury. (For example: I've seen way too many stiff bodybuilders injure themselves doing simple stretches mostly because they were not very flexible.)
Edited by itchytummy 2005-01-12 5:47 PM
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| I have not seen anyone touch head to feet standing ... prolly 'cause I can't look around!! ... but, last night I saw someone do it in head to knee pose on the floor. And their back was pretty flat too. I was impressed. |
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| Brother Neel--any chance your bendy student would allow a photo? We'd love to see her! |
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| Brother Bruce:
I shall try to ask her. Give me several weeks so that I can first treat her with Starbucks coffee, etc. I shall not forget it. She will give me her picture, but to put it on the web, she may be reluctant. But, I shall show you her picture asap.
By the way, the name of this pose is called: Self-Salutation.
neel kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| Alright, in a moment of extreme maturity, I will say that I got a little chuckle at the name of the pose.
Hey, if I didn't say it, Stefan would have beat me to it! Oh dear, now I"m full of jokes! Sorry - just got back from yoga class and am feeling a little goofy.  |
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| Neel,
I too would love to see the pose. Starbucks? I drink it many times before I go to class because it's right across the street, but there's a posting stating something about not taking caffeine before class ... I ignore it.
If you take her pic from the side, why would she be reluctant?? But I understand the whole thing about anonymity, regardless of a having your face buried.
Self-salutation?? I have never heard that asana referred to by that name. |
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| And we continue to learn as "self-salutation" is revealed to us--Brother Neel leads us on the path of Raja Yoga, pushing us to the highest rung of the spiritual ladder of Advaitic realization of Brahman. I had to work at that...like Lora intoned, my first thought would be it should be called "self-abuse"! |
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| Well Self Abuse will work as follows:
Self - of oneself
Ab - Abdominals
Use - Extreme Use without which you can not keep your head onto your own feet.
I am scared of LoraB Jokes!!!
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| I have had a recent revelation about forward beds, standing and otherwise. If someone has relatively shorter legs and a longer body, the head is much closer to the feet right away. My head does not touch my feet in Uttanasana (this is the pose you are discussing, yes?)
http://www.yogadancer.com/Pages/Uttanasana.shtml#Full |
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| I like the tourist point. And, by the way, the link which tourist gave has the girl with SelfSalutations, so Bruce and others should feel great.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org |
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| Good grief! It sure looks like she's touching--wish she were bald so I'd know for sure--Brother Neel--if you did it, we could see plainly. Also in the pictures--I see Guru Iyengar folded in half as well but his head is no even close--obviously never touch head to feet in this asana. |
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| Awesome Uttanasana, tourist!!! The only diff from the head to feet bikram asana, which I think is called "Pada-Hastasana", is that we have our hands under the heels and elbows behind the shins.
Neel, if you can post your student, I'd love to see it too. |
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| Well, I shall try my student. But, since we already saw once, we are dispelled off darkness. Now, Brother Bruce: I can not do that pose that well. And, yes Mr Iyengar in that pose does not do it. However, since I know him, if he meant to do it, he would have done that. I think he only means to fold.
I can possibly touch the palms on the floor next to the feet. Now, since I should give something to Geo Girl, let me do the following:
Pada = feet, Hasta = palms. Uttana - intense stretch.
Padoottanasana, sometimes called Uttanasana - intense stretch in the legs, which allow more fold wanted by brother bruce.
Padahastansan - joining of palms to feet, either below them, or above them, or next to them (such as Iyengar Guruji has done) or also behind the feet on the floor.
Neel Kulkarni
www.authenticyoga.org
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | tourist - 2005-01-13 10:46 AM
I have had a recent revelation about forward beds, standing and otherwise. If someone has relatively shorter legs and a longer body, the head is much closer to the feet right away. My head does not touch my feet in Uttanasana (this is the pose you are discussing, yes?)
http://www.yogadancer.com/Pages/Uttanasana.shtml#Full
I agree with this. I can fold over fully, but my legs are longer than my torso, so there's
not much hope of bringing my forehead or crown onto the toes. When I did Bikram,
they always told us to pull pull pull in Padahastasana and Pashchimottanasana so
that our head would eventually touch our toes.  Bikram gives numbers to each
student who he sees bring head to toes in Paschimottanasana. Tony Sanchez was
number 25, I think; I've known some younger Bikram teachers with number in the
hundreds someplace.
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Hands to Feet Pose
