Backing up your Forward Bend
According to a very cool yoga site called Sequence Wiz which details the importance of sequencing which yoga poses should follow others, it's imperative that you not insist on keeping those legs straight in forward bends.
The key word here is relax.
Gradual pulling and stretching, following teacher's instructions, easing into it, is the key to beautiful stretch like forward bend (Pada Hastasana).
And everything else in life.
No forcing, no straining, no struggling. Gentle asking, then allowing. Life imitates asana.
The forward bend is just one of the many ways to back yourself up in hot yoga, and done well, this forward bend can catapult you into a world of feeling good. Here's how....
Fall forward and relax
Forward bend starts with your spine in a naturally softer alignment. Then, squashing your chest to your thighs with no space in between - this "cushions" the spine as you pull gently and lift. This also means no strain to the SI ligaments around the sacrum and then, gradually uncurl.
No fuss. No muss. No stress to the spine or the soul.
The consistency of the hot yoga sequence takes the guesswork out of it: spine safety is built in. Witness the thousands of students who report diagnosis-defying easing of back pain as a result of regular hot yoga practice
I alway considered myself blessed; I never had back problems, lower back or otherwise. I attributed this good fortune to 40 years of yoga practice, 15 of those years dedicated to hot yoga.
But the other day, driving in my car, I felt a twinge.
The left side of my hip started to go a bit achey. Now I notice that when I drive long distances, it can go a little numb.
Was is Sciatica, pulled sacrum, or something else? I dont care to name it. All I care about is easing it.
I usually start at the root of the problem: emotions. The link between your emotional and your physical bodies is built upon even strong connective tissue
Lower back, hips....hmmm, have I been pushing stress down? Sounds about right.
So now I can make a conscious decision to just let go of whatever I have been worrying about. The best part is I dont have to know what's been nagging me and my lower back; I can release by my word, in this moment, without backtracking
Letting go, from this moment, rather than bringing up the past, is faster and way more efficient.
I look at it this way: if I was driving and suddenly found myself lost, would I backtrack to the place where I got lost and start over from there, or would I correct and continue from where I am now? Start from where you are (and oftentimes I find that the "getting lost" served me well - like the time I found a beautiful armoire someone was just putting to the curb because), correct and continue.
But I know; you're going to ask me if there are some hot yoga poses that can help a tight back and strenghten the sacroilliac. The short answer is, they all do!
But here's one answer in particular: watch the gap. NO SPACE BETWEEN CHEST AND THIGHS as you slowly lift your hips and straighten your legs WITH YOUR CHEST TO YOUR THIGHS.
It’s not really the sacrum that we have issues with, but the sacroiliac (SI) joints.
Quick anatomy: the sacrum, located at the base of your spine, consists of 5 vertebrae fused together to form a bone about the size of your hand. It fits between the two sides of your pelvis and is connected to it via the sacroiliac joints.
SI joints are weight bearing; the sacrum bears the weight of the spine and transfers it through those joints to the pelvis and then down into the legs. Like any weight bearing joint, it needs to be stable, and there are several ligaments that bind the sacrum to the pelvis to restrict it’s movement.
Some of us have more mobility in the sacrum than others - flexy also has some potential problems.
The sacrum can tip slightly forward in relation to pelvis (called nutation) or slightly back (counternutation) 5-10% at most, but enough to create potential instability in the pelvic area.
Some ligamentatious people might be prone to injury - but even if you're one of these, you can stay safe:
- Women of reproductive age. A moveable sacrum is designed to accommodate passing a baby through the pevis: f counternutation for the head to enter the pelvis and nutation to get the tailbone out of the way. In pregnant women hormone relaxin makes ligaments more lax for accommodating the birthing process. Whether or not you are pregnant right now, if you are a female of reproductive age or gave birth before, you likely to have more mobility in your SI ligaments, so you must go slow in your movements even if you are super-flexible - and work on strength to balance that blessed flexibility.
- Flexy folks. Some of us were born with looser ligaments, which enables us to do advanced hot yoga poses with ease, but also puts us at risk for SI issues because of extra sacrum mobility. Your sacrum can pop out of place more easily, usually on one side, and then it will pull on the ligaments designed to keep it in place, causing pain on one side of her lower spine.
- The Walking Wounded: if you've been injured these ligaments before, be patient and go easy. Ligaments are highly avascular, which means that if there is a tear, it will take a long time to heal because of poor circulation to the area. So - take it easy. Don't ignore your body’s pain signals. If you are or have ever been injured in this area, follow your teacher's instructions and take it extra easy (you can do it) to avoid reinjuring and turning the area into a chronic problem.
For the rest of us: listen closely. Follow your teacher's instructions TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY. Pain means you just hit the wall. Back up. Breathe. Choose standing savasana if the spirit moves you.
It's all good and you're just getting hotter all the time.
Rhonda Uretzky, E-RYT
Reader Comments (8)
I love a good forward bend and I especially love Pada Hastasana. The more "squished" I am the better. I find that sucking in the stomach to kind of hollow out helps me to squish even more. I am one of those over flexy with most all joints and it has caused pain. The forward bends and all the sit ups during class help so much to just stretch everything out. I always feel like I can never squish enough:)
I agree Gabby - squished"like a Japanese ham sandwich," as they say elsewhere in Bikram studios (have you seen one of these things? A truly disgusting culinary concoction of squished ham/mayo/white bread) I prefer to picture my spine lengthening vs. this gross sounding lunch meal! And yes, hollowing the stomach helps...as does enjoying the lift. To me the squish feels like a nice, tight hug...always wonderful
Nothing about a Japanese ham sandwich sounds good but the stretch sure does! I do agree that it does feel like a nice tight hug even if I have to bend my knees. One day they will be straight!
SI joints, thats what my chiro said.... and my teacher today said take it easy, like it says above. Hmmm, I've been hoping this would go away while intermittently complaining about it! I used to love the way Pada Hastasana felt, not so much these days. But it isnt as painful as Dandayamana Biphaktapada Janushiransana, or Janushirasana w Paschimottanasana are lately.
Yes, take it easy, Kim but no, it won't go away if you keep complaining about it - each time you do so, you are making it more real. And mentioning the other poses that irk you - well you know where this is heading. Stop that, will ya?
Yes I will stop complaining! lol. Its a bad habit, and I think I am not doing it , or doing it less but apparently I dont even realize. But I get that what I focus on, I'll get more of! Thanks for calling me out on it!
How about this; I will do the best I can with whatever I might be doing, because how I do one thing is how I do everything! I will prepave my days, expecting the good stuff in life!
Ah, I can feel the Universe applauding! Good fun.
This article is really detailed and helpful. Thank Yo so much for posting such a great information.