Sun Salutations

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi - can anyone explain to me what is going on when people can’t
bring their foot from down dog into a lunge on the sun salutations.
They only get their foot part way forward and then their knee is way
out ahead of their ankle. I know that sometimes people bring their
foot forward too early without bringing it forward as their shoulders and hips move.
I also know there are some ways that they can come to the floor in
table and then bring the foot forward as a modification. What I’m
trying to figure out is what muscles are involved, and what poses do
I do to create the hip flexion (or whatever it is that is needed) for
them to be gradually be able to do this or a magic move to allow them
to accomplish this.
Sun Salutations are great and I know that some of my students get discouraged because they can’t move from the down dog to the lunge easily.

Thanks!

Cheryl

#2

As you are discussing the Sun - Yoga, have you heard of Hira Ratan Manek ( www.solarhealing.com)… He lives on sunlight and liquid foods for past nie years and teaches everyone his method of sungazing for mental, physical and spiritual benifits which he claims is a dircet and ancient version of Sun-Yoga…

Vipul…

#3

I’m probably telling you something you already know. I am not an instructor but I can tell you as a student how I worked through this problem (if I can explain it where it makes sense) :-? I found that from dog pose, if I first bent my knees and then pushed back up through my feet and hands I could get enough lift and momentum to swing the foot forward far enough. I’m not sure which muscles are involved, but I think I was doing what you said - not coordinating the foot with the hip and shoulder movement. By bending the knee first and then pushing, it exaggerated the movement to get all the parts in sync.

#4

When this is the case, I recommend that students lift the hip, even coming on to the toes to achieve height in the hip of the leg coming forward. The muscles involved are hip flexors - rectus femoris and psoas. strengthening these muscles with straight leg lifts can be beneficial. Check also for tight hamstrings which can restrict the action of their antagonist hip flexors. Please feel free to post this inquiry to Mukunda Stiles’ Q&A. He is a highly qualified Yoga Therapist and teacher of teachers.

Namaste,
Chandra