Hi,
I understand that yoga is not all about flexibility. However, to be able to do certain asanas, my hamstring and calf muscle should be quite a bit longer.
I started to do asanas again two weeks ago, and there has been some improvement since, but I feel uncertain on how to proceed. Incase it matters, my legs are somewhat short in comparison to my upper body.
Is it just a matter of stretching, or does someone have other tips&tricks?
A cumulative answer to such a question includes the physiologic “stretching” and how to do so safely but with effect, the lifestyle and nutrition of the student, and the exploration, discovery, and addressing of the emotions which we write into the tissue of the muscle.
The question for the student may be “what things am I doing in my living (what am I choosing) that does not contribute toward this path or mission I’m intending?”. Otherwise asana is just a finger in the levee.
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;43325]A cumulative answer to such a question includes the physiologic “stretching” and how to do so safely but with effect, the lifestyle and nutrition of the student, and the exploration, discovery, and addressing of the emotions which we write into the tissue of the muscle.
The question for the student may be “what things am I doing in my living (what am I choosing) that does not contribute toward this path or mission I’m intending?”. Otherwise asana is just a finger in the levee.[/QUOTE]
Insightful friend, but I think this user is just looking to lengthen his legs.
Here I am…a yoga noob giving advice…but whatever…
For years I could not do Pachimottanasana (sp)…I could reach my knees but if I tried to push it any further, my calves would burn…it seemed like my legs were just too ‘short’…
Then, I did a few ‘warm up’ exercises…one was called ‘Churning The Mill’…you sit with your legs extended together…then you sorta grab your left thumb with your right hand…and you make a ‘stirring motion’…like you are stirring a huge pot…with each rotation, you push out further and stir wider…
Another useful pose was naukasana (I think this is right) where you sit on your bottom and raise both legs, grabbing onto wherever is comfortable and just balance there…
At first it was my knees…then my calves…then I could reach my ankles and toes…
(It took quite a while)…lol
After months of doing this, I could go into the full forward bending pose (I am not even going to bother with the Sanskrit name for that again lol) without any strain on the back of my legs.
Arno,
Take a look at your pelvis when you forward bend. As in Paschimottanasana, the pelvis should be moving as you come forward. Place your hands on your hips and start to come forward. Stop coming forward when your pelvis stops. If you continue, you are using your back, not your hamstrings to pull you forward. With some of my students, I take a yardstick and measure their progress. Place the yardstick right at the knees and then out beyond the feet and measure when you come into forward fold. That is your starting point.
While laying on your back with knees bent and soles of feet on mat, extend one leg up toward ceiling. Again, check your pelvis to see if it is tilted. Look at your extended leg. If your hams are tight, knee will be bent and leg will not be perpendicular to ceiling.
Standing wide leg forward bend is a more gentle hamstring stretch for those with tights hams. And remember, if you want to lengthen, hold the pose longer and come out of the pose very slowly, concentrating on the breath as you come out. Muscles have memory and if you are constantly going from pose to pose quickly, the muscles will strengthen, but stay contracted and shortened. Dynamic repetitions coupled with holding the pose and then a slow controlled release will help lengthen.
One more thing. How far down can you come in Uttansana? Are your knees bent in order to touch your toes? If so, get a block and place it in front of you. Stand in Tadasana and place hands on hips. Begin to spill forward and when the hips stop moving, so do you. Keep knees straight (not hyperextension) and place hands on blocks. I know many teachers tell their students who cannot reach their toes in the above pose, to bend their knees. But if you are working toward lengthening the hamstrings you won’t be lengthening them if the knees are bent. Legs have to be straight.
Hips play a huge role. Pay attention to how they move. Measure your progress. You’ll be surprised how quickly you progress.
Supta Padangusthasana with the leg straight up to start and the foot flexed is a good stretch. As you progress and are able to keep the hips on the mat, you can release the leg out to the side. With the leg that is out to the side, bring the opposite hips toward the lower ribs which will open the hip of the extended leg side. My students have found this to be most effective. You can also hold this position in a more yin style.
Best of luck!
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;43325]The question for the student may be “what things am I doing in my living (what am I choosing) that does not contribute toward this path or mission I’m intending?”.[/QUOTE]
Gordon, thanks for this comment. It made me think about several things.
Probably somewhat of a noob question: Do you think using the muscles with a lot of strength, like in serious cycling for instance, shortens them? I’m 38 years old, I’ve never owned a car, and always travel by bicycle. I’ve also travelled lots of long distances through the country and Europe, and mostly at resonably high speeds. Supta virasana, for instance, is completely impossible for me.
Thanks for your advise. I tried it but I wasn’t concentrated at that moment. I will try it again 
Thanks for your advise also. I’ve tried to concentrate on the things you wrote about the pelvis. I can fairly easy touch my toes without bending the knees. And it seems my pelvis is coming along until that point also. When I go further I can place my hands flat on the ground in front of my feet, but then I bend my back, as you discribed. It feels like the pelvis can not come any further forward, because the hamstrings are holding it back?
My one year old sits in this virasana position always… IS IT GOOD?
Arno,
cycling would work the flexors and extensors typically at the expense of the other musculature of the hips which adduct, abduct, internally rotate and externally rotate. Usually runners and cyclists (in class) have very tight, short hamstrings and calves. These sorts of exercises, along with some weight training, contract muscles while they are short. yoga works toward the opposite - keeping them long while contracting them. So “yes”. 