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| Hello,
I am new to this forum and very glad that there is a place where I can ask about yoga.
I've been practicing yoga for about a year. When I started I wasn't even able to touch my toes, but now I am flexible enough to do Standing Forward Bend well with a bit of warm up.
My problem is that I can't seem to straighten my lower back in certain poses no matter what I do. For example, if I do downward facing dog, my lower back rounds up, rather than forming a straight line from hands to tale bone. I thought it was my tight hamstrings, but now I am not so sure. Is there something I can do straighten my lower back?
Thanks for your help.
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| There is a lot to it: tight hams, glutes, lower back muscles and years of inflexibility. Getting flexible in that area to me is the equivalent of being able to lift my bodyweight (200lbs) over my head. It's gonna take a lot of practice and it ain't gonna happen overnight. You start slow and practice every day. Go a little further week after week. Eventually it may happen. Then again maybe it won't.
Here's a tip. When you do forward bends, do NOT round your shoulders. It's common. I do it once in a while. You want to reach further and the easiest way is to round the shoulder and Voila! there are your toes. Instead keep the shoulders back and your eyes forward and keep your whole back straight. Now try to hinge at your hip joint. A lot harder, isn't it? Well now you are forced to fold from the hips and open up those tight muscles!
Another trick. Get some exercise bands. They sell some with handles or you can get the therabands or they sell giant rubber bands. Hook it to a doorknob and sit facing away from the door and take the ends of the bands in your hands. Do a forward bend and try to push the band to your toes. Hollow out your belly and use it to pull you forward. It's the best exercise ever! You can see a standing version of it here: http://www.powerathletesmag.com/pages/jsbands.htm
Do the standing and the seated versions.
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Hips and hamstrings are usually the culprits alright! Do lots of supta padangustasana (lying down big toe hold - use a belt) and pavanna muktasana (lying down knee to chest) and a million downward dogs per day  |
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| Ditto all of the above....
Lunges are good too...It is good to work/lengthen the psoas muscles....(they are connected from the lumbar verterbrae to the inside top of the femur)
Anantasana (couch?) posture is good too... 
Edited by loli 2005-03-17 3:07 AM
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| Thank you very much for your help.
I will try what you suggested.
Thanks again. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Great! Let us know if you need someone to help count those million down dogs!  |
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| I do sun salutes everyday, I will get there soon or later.  |
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Inflexible Lower back
