Janu Sirasana - some pointers please

[amoux]

Okay, this is one of the poses I've been doing for six months now, and whilst progress has been made, the imbalance between left and right sides seems more pronounced now than ever.  Right side is fine, forehead resting on knee, left side feels very tight still, and forehead is about 4 inches above the knee.  In order to get any lower, I'm really having to strain, which doesn't seem like a good idea.  I work to my limit and push very slightly.  This worked fine on the right side, but I'm feeing stuck with what to try to balance it up on the left.  Any pointers about loosening up the left hip or left lower back, somewhat?

There's no pain as such, just a very persistent stiffness and feeling of tightness in the lower back.  Any input much appreciated.

[dave]

Having unbalanced sides isn't unusual.  My left side is much looser than the right.  Don't over strain listen to your body.

Baddha konasana is a asana you can just sit in with your back to a wall for extended periods of time while your doing things like folding laundry and it opens the hips.  

I do ashtanga for asana.  Which incorporates ujjayi breathing and a light touch of the mulabandha and uddiyana bandha.  I feel the breath and bandhas help bring you into the pose.

Time and consistent practice of course is the best solution.  

[CarsonZi]

Hi Amoux

I would suggest that you try some asanas that loosen the lower back if that is where the stiffness and tightness is that is making it difficult to bring the head to the knee on the left side durin janu sirsasana.  Regularly doing a routine which stretches out the lower back will likely help things.  You could try postures like spinal twist, plow, and forward fold to try and loosen up that lower back.

Good luck!

Love!

[amoux]

quote:Originally posted by dave


Baddha konasana is a asana you can just sit in with your back to a wall for extended periods of time while your doing things like folding laundry and it opens the hips.  

Thanks Dave - I already do baddha konasana for 40m twice a day while I'm doing my AYP practices, and have been doing so for three months now, with no appreciable difference

I'll continue to exercise patience

[amoux]

quote:Originally posted by CarsonZi

I would suggest that you try some asanas that loosen the lower back if that is where the stiffness and tightness is that is making it difficult to bring the head to the knee on the left side durin janu sirsasana.

This is the issue - I'm just not sure whether that is the problem (the lack of a yoga teacher doesn't help!) That is where the problem seems to be, as far as I can tell.

quote:Regularly doing a routine which stretches out the lower back will likely help things.  You could try postures like spinal twist, plow, and forward fold to try and loosen up that lower back.

Already doing all of the above.  Okay, I'll just keep plowing along[]

Thanks, Carson

[CarsonZi]

Hi Amoux

You can figure out (most likely) where the "issue" is, when you go into the posture and consciously feel for where the tension is.  Look for tension in the lower back, the hamstring and calf muscle, hip flexors on the non-extended leg, etc etc.  Be aware though, that in some postures there can be what is called "bone on bone compression".  Some people will get to a compression point in certain postures depending on their physical anatomy.  Not all postures are physically possible to be done by everyone, regardless of how flexible the muscles are.  For example, my right hip socket is slightly malformed.  This makes it very difficult for me to sit in lotus comfortably.  It isn't a matter of stretching muscles.  It is a matter of having bone on bone compression in my hip that makes lotus almost impossible for me to do.  Same thing can happen with the shoulders (humerous hitting the achromium process), same thing with the neck, the knees, etc etc etc.

Hope this is helpful in some way.

Love!

[amoux]

Carson - yes, that's helpful.  I'm wondering whether the slight torsion in the right hip (almost completely corrected now) has had an effect on the left hip over the months and years.  I'm thinking I might dig out my pilates machine and see if adding that two or three times a week might help to correct any compensation that's been happening.

If I can bore you a little with what I'm sensing doing the pose, when the right leg is extended I can feel the back muscles lengthening and stretching.  When the left leg is extended, I simply cannot feel any stretching going on in the lower back.  Almost as if there's a lock somewhere - so it might well be compression, as you mention, but I'll try the pilates to rebalance things and see how that pans out.

Thanks again.

[CarsonZi]

Hi Amoux

Can you notice any difference in how the right leg sits on the floor (left leg extended) when compared to how the left leg sits when the (right leg extended)?

Love!

[amoux]

The right knee is much closer to the floor (i.e presumably the right hip is opening more) when the left leg is extended than vice versa.  I can feel both sitting bones on the floor throughout, and seemingly stable.  

Oddly enough though, when sitting in baddha konasana, the reverse is true.  The right hip appears less open than the left, and the right knee is higher than the left.  Just did my evening practices and happened to notice

[CarsonZi]

Hi Amoux

Do you have the right heel pressing into the perineum or do you have the sole of the foot pressing into the inner thigh?  I bet that this can be resolved with just require a bit of alignment tweaking based on what you are saying.

Love!

[amoux]

Sole of foot to inner thigh.  

This is exciting

[CarsonZi]

Is the extended right leg at a more drastic degree from the pelvis then the extended left leg?

If you desire, and have the ability, you could take a video and send it to me....that would make it easier (and likely more accurate) to suggest an alignment change that way.

Love!

[amoux]

I'll check on the angle in my asana practice tomorrow - and ask my OH to film it. I'm not aware of a difference, but there could well be one.

This is so kind of you - much appreciated.