Flexibility vs Strength

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi,

I have been doing yoga for about 2 years. Before that I ran a lot and then did lots of total body training.
So I can do many poses. Head stands,handstands,forearm stands which rely upon upper body strength. But when it comes to doing binds or pidgeon pose or poses like these I have trouble.
I am 64 years old, but am in very good shape.
I am so very glad that I can do the inversions, but I would like to get more flexible to be able to do binds and hip stretches.
Will this come in time? Or is there some way that I can help this along by doing other stretches?

Namaste

#2

We don’t really know how supple we can become. Some ROM (range of motion) limitation is necessary for joint health - ironic considering so many are looking to be more supple, while the supple may be looking for “more stable”.

What you will get from your practice depends on your frequency, your methods, your thoughts, your nutrition, your rest, and your environment. Can one become more supple in the poses you mention? Yes. Does it take time? Yes. After all, you’ve spent 64 years making it as it is:-)

However most of our stuckness is not physiology. It just manifests in our physiology.

#3

Hello, I am new here and inexperienced, but I’ve had some success with getting more flexible. Mr. Kaplan wrote in an extremely useful thread about hamstrings tightness (which you might find helpful). He talked about holding the pose for at least 90 seconds (with perfect form) to allow the fascia and muscles to loosen. Wow, has that been helping me in terms of opening up my hamstrings. Now, I’m no where near where you are, so you may already be doing this and so what I’ve said may not be of much use. :slight_smile:

#4

Any feedback given is worth taking. Thanks. I have found that if I keep at something consistently one day it will just come. I have also found that I need to work on my patience level. The two points don’t always coincide. Hence I seem to look for other ways to speed up the process.
Sigh. But the process has nothing to do with speed.

#5

sometimes it’s easier to count breaths than time with a clock. Counting the breaths keeps you really in the practice. Try staying at least 10 long breaths and go up from there. Maybe one more every day, or week depending on how you feel. Also, make sure whatever your position, you are not over working, that doesn’t help anything! And yes, the process has nothing to do with speed but consistent practice yields great results in the body, mind and spirit. Maybe even something you weren’t expecting!

#6

Thankyou. I can do this on my own, but in the studio I pretty much go with the instructor’s timing. Which by the way seems longer than I like sometimes.
I will keep this in kind though. Good advice!

#7

the shape of your acromion process may be limiting you to binding. As stated before we all have our own individual ranges of motion.

#8

Hi,
Can you please explain the acromion process?

Thanks

#9

[QUOTE=shumanfoo;84926]Hi,
Can you please explain the acromion process?

Thanks[/QUOTE]

its a bone at the top of your shoulder and the shape of it can make or break you while binding. If you are feeling compression in the shoulder joint this may be the case.

#10

I have been told I am very tight in the shoulder area so maybe this is the cause?

#11

To be clear …

With regard to the above comment by YogaJ it should be mentioned (since I"m referenced) that at one time it was believed that fascia could release in the span of 90 seconds. That has been reevaluated I believe by Iyengar and is now more along the lines of 15 minutes - something most of us will never get to experience first hand, save for Savasana.

As for “perfect form”, if I said [I]that[/I] I chose my words poorly. An aligned pose is almost always more wholesome than a malaligned pose but perfect form is elusive and I’d neither advocate “perfect” form, teach to it, or encourage it. Aligned, yes. Moving toward a full expression of the pose, absolutely. Perfect … never.

#12

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;84825]We don’t really know how supple we can become. Some ROM (range of motion) limitation is necessary for joint health - ironic considering so many are looking to be more supple, while the supple may be looking for “more stable”.

What you will get from your practice depends on your frequency, your methods, your thoughts, your nutrition, your rest, and your environment. Can one become more supple in the poses you mention? Yes. Does it take time? Yes. After all, you’ve spent 64 years making it as it is:-)

However most of our stuckness is not physiology. It just manifests in our physiology.[/QUOTE]

I like the term stuckness better than inflexible. :smiley:

#13

[QUOTE=shumanfoo;84928]I have been told I am very tight in the shoulder area so maybe this is the cause?[/QUOTE]

If bone structure is the case then no amount of stretching will ever allow that ROM.

As for what Innerathlete said, I do hold onto stress in the current moment in the shoulder girdle. So maybe you are stressed and don’t know it. Check in with your shoulders next time you come to your breath.