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 Utthita hasta padangusthasanaModerators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 2 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
| Yoga -> Ashtanga Yoga | Message format |
slowpie6 |
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i didn't read the article, but i always go to Light on Yoga by Iyengar for posture advice.  i have practiced this against a wall (back to the wall) to work on the hip alignment and leg extension. | |||
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| Nick |
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    Location: London, England | Hi there, I found his descriptions of the actions a bit dodgy, but then I would  He over-simplifies descriptions so that if you know what he wants you to do because you are an anatomy buff, then that's fine-people who do not know antomy will perform the actions badly, I think-roating the thigh in, for instance would usually rotate the spine into extension, and pronate the foot. But by and large, yes that instruction's ok. if you want a good warm up, stand with one foot of the floor for 10 seconds, eyes closed, 3 attempts. Do each leg. This is fantastic awareness training for the proprioceptive system which supports our good posture whilst standing on one leg. Also teaches you to activate the core-you have to, otherwise you will fall over. Keep breathing powerfully throughout-serves as a distractor, so that balance will become reflexive, rather than by will alone. I'd say warm-up by practicing as many balances as you can, and make them harder each day-for example, in half-moon pose, learn to roatate your neck so that you are looking up towards the ceiling as you arrive in the posture. Rotate your head from side to side in tree pose with the arms stretched out sideways. Stretch one hand up to the ceiling, but keep the other hand out. All these things will challenge your ability to balance in all kinds of different posture-so you will, if you like, develop a bigger 'balance pool' in your central nervous system than if you just practice this one balance. Then this balance pool will make the pose you want to do easier Nick Edited by Nick 2007-01-11 12:49 PM | ||
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| slowpie6 |
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| i use a paper back that's been 'beat to hell.' | |||
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| slowpie6 |
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| Nick, thanks for the warm-up tip. I have the feeling I won't be able to hold up on one leg for more than one breath, but I'm perseverant. Thankfully, I have the priviledge of having great instructors, so I'm not going at it alone with only the description from the website, but I thought it seemed quite detailed. I appreciate your "review" of his description, I think I will follow zoebird's advice and go to the true authority (BKS Iyengar) rather than random internet yogis. But folks here seem to know their stuff, so I'll listen closely to all your advice too... sp | |||
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| slowpie6 |
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| TampaEric |
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| DownwardDog |
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| slowpie6 |
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| slowpie6 |
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| slowpie: i have no problem of different editions. i just have the one that i showed you, and it's beat to hell. i think i got it in 97 or something. it's been everywhere--even africa--with me. LOL i just don't leave home without it. LOL! it's probably the best yoga book i've ever purchased. i like having it in a small copy because i can carry it everywhere. as for thinking, there's nothing wrong with thinking. i think that you're right about needing to focus on the alignment or think about the alignment of the pose. once you get a sense of one part, you can move on to the next. other times, you'll just 'be' in your pose/modification. | |||
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| Nick |
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Location: London, England | |||
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| slowpie6 |
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| Nick |
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Location: London, England | Hi SP, Good move-it was about £6 ($9) when I brought it those many moons ago  I'll start getting nostalgic in a minute Whilst you are down at the book store, check out 'The heart of awareness' a translation of the ashtavakra gita by Thomas Byrom isbn 0-87773-574-3. It is really good for immersing yourself in that state of mind. Nick Bet you the bookshop won't have it, here's amazon http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Awareness-Translation-Ashtavakra-Gita/dp/1570628971 | ||
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| slowpie6 |
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| Nick |
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Location: London, England | |||
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| slowpie6 |
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| Nick |
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Location: London, England | Hi SP, Well, unless you actually have a congenital hip deformity, which you may have, because some people are undiagnosed, then it is probably not possible for your hip to be jumping out of its socket-if your hip was truly di-locating, I can assure you you would know about it-the sort of thing that happens to people when they are hit by a juggernaut, not from walking. So I'm guessing that you are simply hypermobile, if your teacher says you are flexible (by the way there is no such thing-people who appear flexible just diguise their stiff bits-as a teacher, you have to be cunning to make the student address these tight areas). In order to get you into good technique, by the way, keep the elbow bent when you lift your foot-it helps to stop you lifting your hip, and actually makes you more flexible in the hamstrings. So, when you walk, would you say that your hips sashay from side to side? There is something called the 'trendelenburg gait,' just in case you weren't a hypochondriac-shall we investigate your hips a little? Nick | ||
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| Nick |
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Location: London, England | Hi SP, Looking again at your post, you said you had a dancing stride, so that doesn't sound like trendelenburg gait-so not to worry If you are considered 'flexible,' use yoga to find your tight muscles, and use the other postures to strengthen the weak ones-otherwise your tight muscles will get comparitively tighter as the weak ones get stretched, and usually weaker as a result of lengthening too much. It will be a real challenge for you to explore yoga in this way, but ultimately worthwhile-otherwise you end up being able to 'do' yoga only as a consequence of your 'flexibility.' Just a little piece of advice, from a middle-aged (not old ) timer. Nick | ||
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| slowpie6 |
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| Hi Nick, I don't believe I have any true deformity in the hip, but I think that maybe my flat feet has something to do with this problem of my funny hips. I've been told (folk wisdom, not medical) that people with flat feet are usually flexible. As for whether my hip did indeed dislocate, I can't find any other explanation for what actually happened... the leg (left one only, I think) would suddenly jut out sideways at the joint, being completely out of its normal position, and immediately "spring" back in (without any intervention on my part) with a sort of popping or clacking sound... Maybe it wasn't a full dislocation, but what else could it be. As a reference on my "medical and family history", I have family members with serious joint problems that have required numerous surgeries (my uncle especially, he's been pretty much unable to work his whole life, mostly because of his knees), lots of rhumatism and arthritis as well. As for myself, I tend to get joint pains, although I haven't since I've been doing yoga. I have a recurring problem of getting nerves trapped in hip joint - for a while, I had a tingling sensation and numbness draping down my right thigh, at the surface, which was diagnosed as a pinched nerve and left untreated as the doctor said it would replace itself, thinking it had been caused by some weight loss that had brought my nerve too close to the joint - something like that. I also spent a whole year with my jaw either locked in a partial dislocation, only able to open my mouth about 2 cm, or having it pop very loudly back into its sockets when I forcibly tried to open it up. That was ultimately corrected by wearing a special mouth piece designed to prevent me from moving my lower jaw back and forth within the socket, a bad habit I had. It took 6 months, but I haven't had to use the mouth piece since and my jaw is fine. So yeah, I think there are funny things going on in my joints. About flexibility... I want to specify that I understand that no one is flexible in all parts, and I am not seeing my higher degree of flexibility in some areas as a good thing. The teacher told me I was "too flexible" in a negative way, as I sort of "flop" into certain poses with no mindful movement or muscle activation or stretch. One in particular: Baddha Konasana - my knees have always touched the ground, I can lie flat down on my folded legs as well. In this pose, I simply have no idea what muscles are supposed to be doing something, because I feel nothing at all. My other example I don't know the name of for sure, but I think it might be Upavistha Konasana. In a wide legged forward bend, I can open my legs at 180 degrees, in a complete split, and when bending forward, I simply fall flat onto the ground, with my entire front torso touching. In order to get out of that position, I need to push myself up with my arms. The teacher who told me I was too flexible gave me homework. I need to practice Janu Sirsasana, but instead of lying down on my extended leg (which I can do without much happening) I am supposed to stretch my arms upwards to lengthen my lower back and abs, and then go down towards my leg only slightly, drishti to thumbs, and hold there for 10 breaths or more. The purpose of this is to gain awareness of the muscles in my lower back that need to be developed to counter my over-loose parts. I think that eventually, with this practice, I might be able to lower down with control, rather than falling into a pose. Gosh, when I describe these things, I sound like a ragdoll! Hey Nick, I really appreciate the time you are taking sharing your knowledge with me, you obviously know your stuff! I think I read somewhere that you're a chiropractor? How much do I owe you so far?  sp | |||
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| Nick |
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Location: London, England | "Hey Nick, I really appreciate the time you are taking sharing your knowledge with me, you obviously know your stuff! I think I read somewhere that you're a chiropractor? How much do I owe you so far?" Oooh, don't worry, bill's in the post-just to clarify-I cannot call myself a chiropractor, legal regulations-I have a degree in chiropractic from the McTimoney Corley College, Oxford. So I'm trained, but not practicing. Now for your hip. According to 'differential diagnosis and algorithms for chiropractors': "the hip is quite stable and requires a major force to cause a dislocation." It goes on: "Many presentations fit an age-related categorization:congenital disorders in the infant, growth palte and vascular etiologies in the adolescent, trauma in the young adult, and fracture or arthritis in the elderly." These complaints are confirmed by radiographic examination. Snapping at the hip can be caused by suction in the hip joint, or tendons-neither is necessarily a sign of something sinister-occasionally a loose body may be present in the joint. A loose body would also prevent movement of the joint-which may have been why the hip locked-but you would have to go for an x-ray to determine if that was the case-and it doesn't sound like it. I guess the number one thing that springs to mind is that you sound like you might be classified as being hypermobile. I'd have to see you, but from your descriptions, it sounds like it. This makes it all the more important to not use yoga to stretch the bits that are already weak-your body will allow greater mobility and therefore imbalance in 'opposing muscle groups.' Basically, a teacher can do the most for a hypermobile student by encouraging them to perform optimum posture-not by allowing them to fall towards the extremes of flexibility in each pose. This is exactly what should be done on the normal population, and it just becomes even more important in the hypermobile student. They often don't like it, unless it gives instant pain relief, because you are basically telling them that they have wasted their time in practicing yoga-not pleasant, don't enjoy it, but they are my responsiblility and I try to give them the news gently Ok, this isn't a diagnosis-you mention having flat feet-you may not have flat feet, but you may be doing something called hyper-pronation, which effectively flattens the instep. Hyper-pronation is associated with an anteverted hip, where the angle of the femur is such that the femur rotates in. I feel from your description that you have some element of the above going on, even if only functionally, rather than structurally. The problem on your right thigh may have been caused by a trapped nerve in the upper lumbar area-just to help you find those tight bits Nick | ||
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