Yoga & Flexibility
| Written By: Denice Zengo |
Yoga & Flexibility
CORRECT ALIGNMENT AND CONSISTENCY ARE KEY
Although the practice of Yoga develops flexibility of body and mind, it’s not the measure of “how good” you are at yoga.
The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures, but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships – T.K.V. Desikachar
Don’t Compare – Every Body is Different
It’s not uncommon to think in terms of flexibility when we think of Yoga. When your body is resilient you feel better, move with fluidity and handle stressful situations with ease. The important thing is to know what flexibility means for your body & develop from that place. Every body is different.
Yoga is not about judgement, comparison or competition. So don’t compare your pose to the person on the mat next to you – or even worse… to the photos you see of super flexible yogis in the latest and greatest sexy attire. Your practice should inspire you towards inner exploration. Yoga is your personal journey towards transformation.
Tips For Flexibility
LEARN TO USE A VARIETY OF TOOLS TO HELP SUPPORT CORRECT POSTURAL ALIGNMENT
Blocks, straps, bolsters and chairs are great tools to be familiar with in your practice. Understand the concept and get creative. In the photo above a yoga block is being used to keep the spine long in this semi-forward fold. If using a block is too low for you and your back tends to round then you can use a chair. Find the correct height so your back is long while you feel into a nice stretch in your legs. Practicing this way will create more changes in your body than sitting on the floor, rounding your back and attempting to lengthen forward.
If you have a tendency to hyper extend make sure to keep your knees soft.
Anytime you are lengthening forward, the pelvis also needs to tilt forward. This is healthiest for the lower back. Sitting on the forward edge of a blanket or firm pillow can give you a little more mobility if you find you are super stiff in the pelvic area. Tilting the pelvis ensures that you are moving into the pose by lengthening the hamstrings while also creating movement through the hip joints. Otherwise you are putting pressure on your intervertebral discs… very bad for the lower back.
Place a strap below the balls of your feet and use the leverage to gently guide your body forward. Maintain a long spine as in the photo. Make sure you don’t lead with your head – a common tendency when stretching forward. The strap gives the added of advantage of keeping the shoulders rolled back and down. This counteracts the erroneous tendency to pull the body and shoulders forward closing the chest and rounding the back.
Develop Healthy Habits
When you take the time to understand correct alignment and positioning for your body in each of the yoga poses, you will experience healthy and harmonious change.
– Be mindful of your breath. Breathe in with active motion, release and let go with your exhalation
– Encourage and “allow” the muscles to open and let go. Do not force and create constriction
– Practice on a regular basis
– Measure your “success” by your own progress, not someone else’s body type
– A rigid mind attached to outcome is not the practice of yoga
– In yoga we seek balance in strength, flexibility & poise
