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 LungesModerators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 2 3 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
| Yoga -> General Yoga | Message format |
Empress Echo |
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I'm just curious about this... when I do lunges between hanging forward bend & plank pose (or any lunges for that matter!) I have to put the leg that is forward & bent either in my armpit (very uncomfy!) or outside of my arm, next to my shoulder (much more comfy!) Does that make sense? Of course my foot is still between my hands... I don't know if I have long legs, short arms, or a combination? (This sounds a little odd to me! LOL) I also have a somewhat, uh... generous chest, though by no means huge. I don't know if my height (5'11" would make a difference one way or another...) I was just wondering if anyone else has to modify the pose this way? Or if you have any other suggestions? I don't know if this is a bad habit I'm getting myself into, but otherwise I can't open my chest & roll back my collarbones during the lunge. What say ye? Much appreciation! | |||
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| sideshow |
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Is this the part where I get a cookie if Im the first to say: Find a teacher!  just kidding.. Im not sure with your lunges, I can tell you that my bent leg touches my chest and runs almost right along the side of my torso parallell to the 'crease' of my armpit. Are you feeling a stretch in your inner thigh area when you lunge? I usually make sure im feeling something in that area, but if I try to raise my torso off my knee it doesnt seem to feel as natural as using my knee as a type of umm..brace(?) - for lack of a better word. I dunno even know if this helps answer your question, I would say as long as your toes are pointed straight and your back foot is paralel to your bent(front) foot your alignment should be okay. Im no expert here, im just trying to give you some of my experience, maybe twisti or another teach can pipe in and tell me im completely wrong... Later insert being into the fabric of existance | |||
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| jeansyoga |
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| sideshow |
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| Gruvemom |
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| jeansyoga |
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| jeansyoga |
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| I should also add that without a teacher, you may not know what is the key focus of the pose (i.e. the legs must be in alignment but the arms can move). How many DVD-only students press right up into Cobra without focusing on the abdominal and lower back poses, and only using arm strength? Just wanted to get my cookie too! | |||
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| Empress Echo |
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(Of course, for those who don't know I'll add my usual disclaimer that I cannot have a teacher or class right now because I have severe panic attacks & social phobia, not to mention not a dime to spare. I'm working on those things, btw! So, for now it's just me, my dvds, & you kind folks! I'm relieved by your words Jean. Yes, I've got knee over ankle in the pose, and the opposite leg straight & stretched with the thigh muscle pulled close to the bone; chest open & collarbones lifted, hands flat on the floor. (I tried using just fingertips but this felt "wrong"...) The instructor on the dvd (Barbara Benaugh) that I use most is usually quite thorough in her descriptions, though this is one area in which the rather skinny guy demonstrating the poses doesn't seem to have problems with - LOL. The only variation is that my knee is on the outside of my shoulder. Keeping it inside, either pressed against my chest or in my armpit area, I just wasn't able to breathe properly or get that good lift & expansion in my chest, (which seems to emphasize the stretch from torso to heel...) so I was really hoping you guys wouldn't tell me I was totally screwed up! Barbara Benaugh does a lot of things with variations on this dvd and advises that if you're not ready for a certain pose, to push just to the point where you aren't exactly comfortable, but you aren't hurting yourself either, if that sounds right (I know I'm not using her exact words here...) I've lost 26 lbs. since January 7, so... there's always the possibility that someday my knee will fit under my chest - LOL! In the meantime, I'm doin' what I can! | |||
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| sideshow |
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| Empress Echo |
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jeansyoga - 2005-05-02 1:37 PM I should also add that without a teacher, you may not know what is the key focus of the pose (i.e. the legs must be in alignment but the arms can move). How many DVD-only students press right up into Cobra without focusing on the abdominal and lower back poses, and only using arm strength? Just wanted to get my cookie too! LOL - Alright, cookies all around (though I must say, sugar is very bad for you - have some peanuts! Interesting your comments about cobra - and your words make me feel better about the dvd that I have ("Power Yoga For Every Body"). We work up to cobra with several arm balances & other back bends, focusing on tucking the tail & engaging the abdominal muscles, and then do cobra in "waves" - a little at a time, eventually moving from cobra to up dog. How's that? | |||
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| Empress Echo |
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sideshow - Does any of this make sense or is it just mindless babble? Mindless babble. ROFL - no, I'm just kidding - but I just couldn't resist that one! I push myself until I'm definitely feeling a little pain, but I know my threshold & won't push beyond it. I'm progressing this way, so the threshold is variable. It's hard to describe... I can just feel at certain points that to push further would risk injury, you know? | |||
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| sideshow |
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| jeansyoga |
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| When I teach Cobra in class, I have the students press hips down into the mat then draw the shoulderblades back toward the buttocks, using the strength of the back and abs to lift the shoulders up off the mat. If the right muscles are engaged, you can lift the hands off the mat and still maintain the position. When you are sure you are engaging those muscles properly, then you can begin to use your hands to deepen the stretch in your spine - NOT to work the arm muscles. Then, when you have progressed to the point where you have a full stretch, you sort of slide *through* them, opening your chest up and out (blooming like a flower) into Up Dog. That is much more of a challenge for your arm muscles. Sideshow, I think the point between feeling the stretch and feeling pain is often referred to as "playing your edge." You want to be challenged, but not push your body beyond where it is ready to go. And, I totally agree that your body will become more accustomed to the poses and movements as you keep practicing. Each time you'll "get it" just a little bit more! Even on a day when your body is stiff and doesn't want to do the pose quite as deeply as yesterday, you're still learning about listening to yourself, playing your own edge. You can't do anybody's practice but your own! Echo, that is great that you have lost so much weight! Wow! You must feel fantastic! But I want to add a point about your breath when your chest is compressed by your knees. Keep in mind that your lungs expand in ALL directions, 360 degrees. Not just to the front where your knee is compressing! When I first started yoga, I could not stand to do Childs Pose, all I could think was, "This is supposed to be RELAXING?? I can't breathe!!" But, eventually I learned to focus on expanding my lungs to the sides and to the back. That skill has really helped with my asthma as well. SO, you might want to try this as well. It is easier for me to do this one in a yoga studio, because at home I wind up inhaling a lot of cat and dog hair, regardless of which direction my lungs are expanding!  And, I still want a cookie. I don't mind sugar . . . bring on the chocolate chips! | |||
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| YogaGuy |
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Empress Echo - 2005-05-02 2:16 PM
(Of course, for those who don't know I'll add my usual disclaimer that I cannot have a teacher or class right now because I have severe panic attacks & social phobia, not to mention not a dime to spare. I'm working on those things, btw! So, for now it's just me, my dvds, & you kind folks! I'm relieved by your words Jean. Yes, I've got knee over ankle in the pose, and the opposite leg straight & stretched with the thigh muscle pulled close to the bone; chest open & collarbones lifted, hands flat on the floor. (I tried using just fingertips but this felt "wrong"...) The instructor on the dvd (Barbara Benaugh) that I use most is usually quite thorough in her descriptions, though this is one area in which the rather skinny guy demonstrating the poses doesn't seem to have problems with - LOL. The only variation is that my knee is on the outside of my shoulder. Keeping it inside, either pressed against my chest or in my armpit area, I just wasn't able to breathe properly or get that good lift & expansion in my chest, (which seems to emphasize the stretch from torso to heel...) so I was really hoping you guys wouldn't tell me I was totally screwed up! Barbara Benaugh does a lot of things with variations on this dvd and advises that if you're not ready for a certain pose, to push just to the point where you aren't exactly comfortable, but you aren't hurting yourself either, if that sounds right (I know I'm not using her exact words here...) I've lost 26 lbs. since January 7, so... there's always the possibility that someday my knee will fit under my chest - LOL! In the meantime, I'm doin' what I can! Maybe I'm missing something, but how the heck do you have your knee over your ankle and outside your shoulder at the same time while having the hands on the outside of the feet and both hands on the floor and claim to be "in alignment?" Sounds like you're just doing it wrong. Get some blocks/phone books. The knee is on the inside of the arm, under your chest. Adjust your bosom not your knee! | |||
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| Gruvemom |
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| Empress Echo |
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Gruvemom - and no resultant titty squish.
Sad but true! (We really do need to start that class for Big Breasted Babes, don't we?! LOL) I tried the lunge again just to check on my knee alignment, and perhaps you and Yoga Guy are right, which is why I posted this; I don't want to get into a bad habit. I'll work on it and I'm sure it will take some time. I can get the knee into the armpit but it's awkward & I don't feel like I get the good alignment and stretch from chest to heel when I do that. If I get it under my chest, my knee winds up forward of my ankle, which doesn't seem right either, but... maybe YG is right about propping hands on blocks? I'm flexible with these things. | |||
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| tourist |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 8442      | Lunges are hard! Boobs or no boobs  Echo - you my need to work on blocks for awhile and work on getting the opeing in the hips for a long time before the chest opening starts to happen. Do lots of Virabhadrasana I and II - heck- do lots of all the standing poses! Standard advice but for good reason. They open the hips and create the foundation for all the other poses. And keep having fun. it sounds like you are | ||
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| Thushara |
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| jeansyoga |
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| Thush - this is the pose we are discussing: (lunge pose.jpg) Attachments ----------------  lunge pose.jpg (2KB - 107 downloads) | |||
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| Empress Echo |
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| YES! I was trying to find a pic... I see that the woman in this picture is on her fingertips as well - interesting! She seems more "upright" in the pose than the fella on my dvd, who has more of a straight line (diagonal, of course) from neck to heel, which I find quite difficult without - to use Gruvemom's phrase! - the resultant "titty squish"! LOL | |||
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| loli |
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You can also use two bricks/blocks to put your hands onto if you have short arms and/or a generous bust....I always think of 'sink the hips, lift the sternum' in a lunge,( so the more upright version that jeans has shown)....coming even more upright and resting the hands on the thigh is done sometimes too...I like to come upright more as it intensifies the stretch for me....'titty squish' ROFLMAO Unfortunately(?) I haven't got that problem  | |||
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| Gruvemom |
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| Empress Echo |
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loli - 'titty squish' ROFLMAO Unfortunately(?) I haven't got that problem LOL! Yeah, unfortunately "the grass is always greener on the other side", right?! I just finished my "morning" workout, and had a couple of little breakthroughs! I did the lunges mostly on fingertips and got my knee between bust & armpit, AND knee over ankle, tho I still had trouble getting that good chest lift. In this particular workout there are lunges during sun salutations and then again during standing poses, in which you go from a lunge into Warrior I & then Warrior II, or alternately from lunge to down dog. I also have a left wrist problem that further complicates all this, but I'm getting that worked out with a towel and a light pressure bandage, so that now I'm doing much better in the wrist area! And in another more or less unrelated area, my other breakthrough today was that during standing forward bend, I usually can only get my belly against my legs, and maybe a rib or two... Today I surprised myself by (what seemed rather suddenly!) getting my chest up against my legs too!!! WOO-HOO!!!! Those shins of mine are coming closer & closer into view! Thanks so much for all of your help! You folks have been absolutely invaluable to me! Echo | |||
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| YogaGuy |
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| Empress Echo |
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You know, YG, it's funny you mention this! I read something to this effect on another post... somebody (and I can't remember who - brain damage, you know!) posted that they had trouble hauling their foot up between the hands during a lunge without actually moving it with the hands to where it belongs - which I've had trouble with as well. The advise was to engage the abs & shoulders in this movement, rather than focusing on the legs and hips - I tried this today and - much to my surprise - poof! - there was my foot, all by itself right where it was supposed to be! Grazie! | |||
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