Sitting down straight

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello,

Although I’ve been practicing Yoga for many years I’ve always had trouble with sitting down on the floor with the legs straightened and general sitting forward bents. When sitting down my back arches and I can only straighten it by leaning slightly back and supporting my upper body with my hands on the floor or by using a support block. I’ve noticed that a lot of men in my Yoga class , especially taller ones, have the same problem and have to support their backs in this way, and it is virtually impossible for them to do any forward bents that involve straight open legs. In fact, when I used to do Iyengar Yoga that is more prop-based, the teacher would always hand out blocks to the taller people to support their sitting bones. Even though after intense practice I am eventually able to reach my toes, I have never managed to properly sit down with back and legs fully straight.

My question is what causes this seemingly common problem, is it height and tight hamstrings or is there something else? And is there a way to fix this through yoga without the need of props?

Thanks,
M.

#2

Hello atomheart,

Yes, a fairly common problem. And there is more to it than just hamstrings. Sitting with a rounded back in stick pose (dandasana) is caused by tight hamstrings and/or weak hip flexors (psoas, rectus femoris). To improve matters, the hamstrings need stretching and/or the hip flexors need strengthening.

You probably have tight hamstrings, because you say that forward bending is difficult for you. You may also have weak hip flexors. Can you easily hold boat pose (navasana) for 6 - 12 breaths? If not, your hip flexors could be weak. You could also ask your yoga teacher for an opinion.

Suggestions for stretching your hamstrings: side of hip stretch (parsvottanasana), reclining hand to toe (supta padangusthasana) with strap if necessary, or lying inside a doorway with one leg up the doorpost and the other through the door. Preferably include a long stretch (90 sec) in your routine. This gives the connective tissue some time to stretch.

Suggestions for strengthening the hip flexors: stick (dandasana), upward stretched legs (urdhva prasarita padasana) and boat (paripurna navasana). Find a way to include some repetitions for increasing strength. For example, in boat pose alternate between knees bent and knees stretched. Increase repetitions over time, while keeping a normal lumbar curve.

Typically, you need to give yourself at least 2 - 3 months of practice (3 - 4 times per week minimum) to see improvements.

#3

on sitting down with legs straight, I wonder what you mean by straight. I am not so sure that it is healthy for the b body to have the legs COMPLETELY straight as in if they are locked. Oftentimes when laying down on ones back for a massage they may give people a cushion to put under the knees. So does straight mean legs locked? answering that may help others to give you greater insight.
best to you
Brother Neil

#4

Hi thanks for the replies, sorry I can never remember the names of asanas but yes by sitting down with legs straight I mean dandasana.

Thanks Willem I suspect that it might also be a hip flexor issue as I always have trouble with navasana, so I will try to work on that besides the hamstrings. I find it amazing how muscles in the legs can cause the back to arch like that. Yoga can reveal a lot about your body.

#5

You’re welcome atomheart. Isn’t it amazing - the human body!

It helps to consider things from the point of view of the pelvis. The position of the pelvis influences the arch of the lower back. The pelvis can tilt to the front (anteriorly) and to the back (posteriorly).

Take a few minutes and grab any anatomy book. The hamstrings/gluteus are pulling on the back side of the pelvis. The (iliop)psoas and rectus femoris are pulling on the front side. So the hamstrings do a posterior tilt on the pelvis (that rounds the lower back). The rectus will do an anterior tilt on the pelvis (and so arches the lower back). P.S. The psoas works directly on the lumbar spine.

Then get on the mat and do cat/cow and feel this happening!

#6

Hello Atom,

I can only add to the sound replies you’ve already received here.

In so doing, I do not want to be be heavy-handed on anatomy as it can be very overwhelming and therefore confusing rather than helpful. What I will say is that it is very unlikely, in the seated position (rather than the anatomical position) that your issue is a lack of ability on the part of the hip flexors.

This issue is almost universally the tension we hold in the hamstrings. There are a variety of ways to physically work to lengthen the hamstrings and Willem has already shared the one I find most safe and most effective - Supta Padangusthasana.

However, working only physically, that is ONLY pulling the leg, doing the physical pose or work with no mind and no breath whatsoever is not at all yoga. Students (and unfortunately teachers) would be well served in learning how to place both mind and breath in the muscle fiber, where to work from and toward, and how to do these things without tearing the muscle from it’s attachment (usually the ischial tuberosity or “sitting bone”)

I’d also like to point out that the Iyengar system is prop-based ONLY when the student cannot do the poses with integrity. Other systems, devoid of props, typically place little or no value on the principles of alignment OR embrace a paradigm where the student must fit the yoga rather than the other way around.

There are ways to “fix” it (though it’s not broken) but they almost always require changes in lifestyle and nutrition which some students resist.

#7

Yes, the breath. I’m all for it. If you find yourself not breathing in yoga class, you could be in samadhi (which is okay) or dead (which is not). :slight_smile: When it comes to stretching or releasing muscles, the breath is your biggest ally.

So, let’s assume that you are in supta padangusthasana and feeling your hamstrings. First make sure that you are comfortable and not working beyond your edge. Pain and discomfort are guaranteed to make you lose awareness. This will propel out of yogasana to a mere stretching exercise. Much less effective! Also make sure that you are feeling the stretch in the belly of the muscle. Feeling it at the endpoints (the tendons) is potentially risky. Many eager yogis have irritated the attachments of the tendons to the bone, or worse.

Then, make sure that you are still in tune with your breath. Let the breath flow; enter the stream of the breath. On the inhale, send your attention and energy to the stretching hamstring. On the exhale, relax, release and soften the hamstring. And so on. Be mindful and watch what happens to the edge. Breath by breath.

#8

Thanks to all for your solid advice. I know breathing and mindfulness can’t be stressed enough. Personally I think pranayama should be taught first and foremost in all yoga classes as I’ve noticed that a lot of people simply don’t know how to breathe properly not just while doing yoga but in general. It’s a bit disconcerting that a lot of teachers don’t put enough emphasis on pranayama and just mention breathing in passing.

Just another quick question, while in supta padangusthasana, it is obviously hard for me to keep the leg straight up vertically. What’s best, to keep the knee slightly bent and have the leg at a greater angle or keep it straight at a smaller angle?

Thanks,
M.

#9

Bearing in mind that there is rarely only one answer, I’ll give you one answer :slight_smile:

The raised leg should be straight, just as the arm holding and the leg on the floor should be straight. If you need to modify the pose, use a strap and focus on keeping the raised leg straight. If you need to modify further, bend the knee of the down leg and place that foot on the mat.

So in this case, “straight, at a smaller angle”.

gordon

#10

[QUOTE=Willem;29581]Also make sure that you are feeling the stretch in the belly of the muscle. Feeling it at the endpoints (the tendons) is potentially risky. Many eager yogis have irritated the attachments of the tendons to the bone, or worse.[/QUOTE]

Despite your great advice I still went and injured myself at the tendons (assuming it’s the tendons) behind the knee. Even though I’ve improved on general forward bend flexibility greatly, I find that a lot of the stretch happens at the area behind the knees rather than the belly of the muscle. It feels like that area opens up a lot while the hamstrings (and the muscles of the lower leg) do not do much. Is there any technique I could use to focus the stretch in the middle of the muscle besides just concentrating on the area with my mind, or could it be possibly because of tight quadriceps and hip flexors?