Hi,
I’ve been practicing Hatha yoga for the past two years and still I can’t perform a padamasana- I think it is more of a hip problem for I can’t perform a bada Konasana( Cobbler’s pose) Can anyone help with specific exercises or asanas to loosen the hips?
Regards
Pravin
Do butterfly, semi-butterfly and mandukiasana.
Hi,
Thank you for the tips, however i would be grateful if you could describe the Mandukasana posture, for on the web there are completely different versions which are quite puzzling.
As for the butterfly posture, this too i can’t perform due to tight hips i presume.
Thanks and Kind Regards
Pravin
Hi,
Thank you for the tips, however i would be grateful if you could describe the Mandukasana posture, for on the web there are completely different versions which are quite puzzling.
As for the butterfly posture, this too i can’t perform due to tight hips i presume.
Thanks and Kind Regards
Pravin[/quote]
I’ve found a picture of mandukiasana on the page http://www.grg21oe.at/Angebote/Yoga/yoga_asanas/asanas.htm, but if your hips are so tight probably you cannot perform it. But try with semi-butterfly and butterfly. The aim of these two exercises is to loosen and stretch the hips, so if your knees are way up in the air, don’t worry. My knees were too.
One more thing: don’t force padmasana! Your hips have to be very, very elastic. It is all in the hips, and some little in ankle joints. If you try to perform padmasana under any cost, you can seriously damage your knees. I know lots of people who actually could perform padmasana, but still they managed to destroy their knees, and had have surgery. So, just go nice and easy.
Hi Hadma,
Thank you again for the link, this mandukasana is totally different from what i’ve seen earlier- Anyway I shall practice these postures regularly as per your advice and I’ll inform you of any progress in a forttnight from now.
Thanks and Kind Regards
By the way was that site in German?.
Pravin
Yes, the site is in german. It was the first I came onto, and I only looked the pictures. One advice more - if it’s difficult for you to do semi-butterfly, start with putting one foot on the floor next to the thigh of other leg, rather than onto it. Later you can put your foot on the thigh.
can somoene post a picture of semi-butterfly?
oh and i personally find the pigeon pose to be the best stretch for the hips to get into lotus.
however those standing asanas are very important to build strength, you cant just have stretch…you gotta ballance stretchyness with strength.
iyrengar says to do all of the standing asanas for at least 30 seconds each, so if you cant do that i dont think youre anywhere near ready for lotus…master the standing asanas first…(that is the order in which theyre presented in my iyengar book and that makes sense to me)