Help with upavistha konasana

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Namaste,

I have a question about upavistha konasana, and maybe you can give me some clues for how to solve it.
I feel too much dificulty in this pose. Some time ago, I couln?t spread my legs without feeling a strong pain in the hamstrings, but I worked for strengten the internal muscles and know I am more confortable with that, but I still feel that I have something outside my hips that doesn?t let me open the legs. It?s something like the head of the femur touching the hip… I feel very sad with that, because I am trying for years to do this asana and I always still feel that I can?t spread the legs more than that…

Do you have anny suggestion?

Thanks for all.
Light*
vera

#2

Trying lying on your back with your legs up 90’against a wall…then open the legs…let your feet slide down the wll…stay for a couple of mins.
(If you can do this in a gym on a mirrored wall with socks on then your feet will slide more easily.)
Many people have difficulty with this asana because many muscle groups are involved and it will take some time.
Work with baddha konasana also to help lengthen inner thighs…and make sure you are sitting up properly on you sit bones…if you are dropping back use a rolled mat or block to keep pelvis upright.

#3

[QUOTE=yogacambodia;63577]Trying lying on your back with your legs up 90’against a wall…then open the legs…let your feet slide down the wll…stay for a couple of mins…[/QUOTE]

My question on opening the legs against the wall, do we need to internal or neutral or external rotate the femur heads? I would guess the answer would be depending on which muscle group we want to stretch?

But if I practice legs against the wall with the aim of doing a full side-split, then which version I should adopt ?

Hope some experienced teacher can explain ?

Namaste, and thank you in advance.

#4

Neutral.
But upavistha konasana is not a full splits…just 120’ish so that when you fold forward and place belly,chest and chin on the floor you can still hold the big toe or outer edge of foot…you cannot reach if legs are 180’…unless you have VERY long arms.

If doing a full side split(180’) the knee caps and toes should be facing up…neutral.

#5

Thanks for the advice!
I will try it!

Namaste*

#6

Hi Vera

Legs on the wall for sure.

Supta Baddhakonasana with back support and 1 kg weights on the knees is a great help too.

#7

For full splits training, external rotation targets more the medial hamstrings. While Internal rotation gives an active stretch to the adductors and in short is golden.

#8

Thanks Noah!

I have been practicing with the legs on the wall, but after some time I feel a strange pain in the left side, in the head of the femur… do you think is ok to feel that? Sometimes I can?t relax with that. If I contract the muscles, maybe it?s not good for the stretch…
What do you think?

Thanks

#9

Hi Vera

There are many hip factors and conditions that can cause the hip pain, its really hard to give advice without much information.

Sometimes the pain goes away by changing the alignment of the legs or the tilt of the pelvis but it sounds like this is something that is not going away easily so it needs to be heeded. Especially as you suspect the cause is compression within the joint.

Do you feel it in standing poses as well?

#10

Hi Noah,

yes, it?s difficult to explain what I feel… Yes, when I make some pose like parsva hasta padasana I feel that something is “stuck” in the hip, and it?s difficult for me to rotate de foot out. When I do that, I feel some pain in the head of the femur and some pressure in the groin.
I tryed for years to work this area, but sincerely, I don?t see too much progress with that… That why it?s difficult for me poses like utthitha trikonasana, upavistha konasana, badha konasana… I really feel that my hip and groins need lots of work!!!

#11

Ah,
and in supta badha konasana I feel exactly the same pain that in upavistha konasana…

#12

If this was an aligment issue I think it would have resolved by now given your history.

Suspect hip compression complicated by either a labrum tear or hip dysplasia, MRI would confirm diagnosis. Also possible that the length of the neck of femur and/or angle of retroversion may make these movements compressive

If MRI is clear and hips appear symetrical then you can find a practice solution. If not then avoid painful positions.

Just an opinion of course.

#13

Thanks again Noah.

Yes, maybe the best for me is to make some kind of exam, to understand what is happening.

Only now I realized that I had a session with you in mysore this last march. Maybe you remember me, I went there because of a pain on my knee, and I knew you because my boyfriend eric was doing a course with you, we are from portugal. The world is so small!

Well, I will try to make an exam to understand what is happening with my hip, the knee pain stills here, and both are in the same side of the body.

Thanks for all!

#14

Hi Vera

Of course I remember. We are settled in India now any chance you two will visit again?

Let me know if you get a difinitive diagnosis Im interested in the outcomes, you can always message me to keep it private.