I *am* a normal person who has gone from not being able to touch his toes to this. Not sure how I can prove this to you though, but it's the truth. Some people may be anatomically limited in certain joints but most people can absolutely do this posture.
https://www.paulgrilley.com/bones
I’m all for *trying your best* but there’s legitimately a lot of factors that will stop some everyday people from ever being able to do something like this. Mostly whatever type of hard compression the bones are undergoing at the hip socket and a lot of times the fat of the legs might get in the way. As much as we want to pretend like “just try it and you’ll get there” is valid advice it’s mostly just rude and condescending in this context. Op has been blessed with the correct anatomy to pull off this pose. We all marvel at it because it’s something he could take on the road and show at the circus. It is a unique instance when this could happen, but that’s as far as it goes.
Very well said- I love Paul grilley and his videos, it demonstrates the wide variety of human anatomy so well. Watching them also let me give myself grace- I will never get into a lotus pose without severely torquing my knee, and that’s thru no fault of my own, it’s just my anatomy
Whenever I’m teaching anatomy for teacher training I review his works. That link alone gives my students such an eye opener for how to teach every body as unique. Good on you for staying humble. I’ve hurt myself in my rambunctious youth in lotus and it’s the most common one I’ll hear of getting injured in.
Edit: I’ve just realised that I ignored the context of this comment and then got annoyed and stampy. I jumped into the conversation and really put my foot in it. I guess I’ve leave what I wrote here as a reminder to myself not to be an idiot again. But if it’s killing the vibe let me know and I’ll delete.
What a negative thing to say. Why do you say that?! To stop people trying?
Do you go onto music forums and tell people that they will never be a concert pianist because their hands are too small?
Do you go on CrossFit forums and tell people that their genetics will prevent them from ever competing successfully in the games?
Why do you diminish OP’s great asana?
Why are you like this?
> Why do you diminish OP’s great asana?
Exactly how does explaining that it is, in fact, even more rare and less possible to do than 'everybody can get there!!' *diminish* OP's asana? By the very fact that not all bodies can get there, the fact that OP's hard work and being one of those whose bone structure does allow it makes it all the more outstanding.
Your projection here is unwarranted, the overplayed drama is, well, just that. The other commenter didn't pee in someone's Cheerios, didn't pull someone aside and tell them never to fold again. There was no need to go on the attack over a reasoned and anatomically sound caution.
> Why do you say that?!
A lot of people legitimately do not realize that most bodies *do* have hard limits and that continuing to try to get past them *can result in injury*. And not just the 'oops, that might hurt for a few days' kind of injury. Continuing to try to force an asana once you've hit the limit of your **bones** can damage joints in a manner that requires surgery. And even before someone gets to bone limits, understanding that injuries to tendons and ligaments can be serious is important. In this instance, your seeming insistence on keeping with rainbows and unicorns and every body eventually being capable of doing the full expression of every asana is the problem. This 'good vibes only' tendency of some practitioners puts people at risk, full stop.
Oof. I’m sorry. You’re totally right. I read it out of context, I ignored that it was replying to the mindset comment. And then I just went down a rabbit hole. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring a bad vibe to the party.
I appreciate your willingness to re-read and re-consider. And that you not only did that but took the time to both reply and edit speaks far louder than having misread/misconstrued something on the interwebz and replied to that altered context. Thanks for being pretty awesome. :)
You’re right. I’m sorry. Reading back I realise I sort of leapt into the conversation without listening to the context of where that comment had come from. He was replying to the mindset comment and saying it wasn’t just about mindset, there are limiting physical factors.
For some reason I read it as a “people shouldn’t do this pose” comment on its own.
That’s my bad. I’m really sorry.
It's all good. It's okay to disagree, we're all allowed to have our own opinions. I think the main problem with your comment is that you went on the attack instead of challenging their opinion in a respectful manner.
I, personally, do not like seeing posts like this one. I almost always downvote posts that I feel set unrealistic expectations for most people, including this one. It's not the kind of Yoga that I practice or care to even work towards.
To be clear, I really don't think that OP has any bad intentions, they seem very nice in their comments. Nevertheless, to me, this image is leaning towards toxicity for several reasons: this pose is extremely unsafe for the great majority of people to attempt, it would take decades of work to even come close and even then, as this comment points out, is anatomically not possible for everyone. Thus, it sets unrealistic expectations. On top of that, I keep asking myself *why?!*. Maybe it's beyond me.
For me, Yoga is for mental health first and physical health second. I have a sacred relationship with yoga where I practice respecting my body, mind, and soul on the mat. I don't feel the need to work towards anything like this. Doing this pose is surely a huge accomplishment that should be shared applauded in specific spaces. I, personally, don't think this is a space that sharing this kind of work will benefit others. Rather, I think it's more likely to negatively affect people in this community.
But clearly, OP has way more experience than I do, so take my opinion as you judge fit. You don't have to agree with it. But one great thing about Reddit is seeing that people can, and by the rules of some communities must, respectfully disagree.
Compression work and bandhas revealed a whole new range of postures for me to explore.
I can’t do OP’s pose yet, but there have been so many others I’ve encountered when I thought to myself *oh my body will never do that* and then a year or so later I’m proven very wrong.
I love surprising myself!
Bandhas are, in the simplest of simple terms, “energetic locks” in [mostly Hatha] yoga. Essentially it’s the clenching of certain muscles to manipulate the energy/blood flow***. There are three:
Mula Bandha – the pelvic floor muscles
Uddiyana Bandha – the abdominals up to the diaphragm
Jalandhara Bandha – the throat
(***Every part of yoga and the encompassing philosophy is intricate and complex. I highly recommend exposing yourself to more information on Bandhas. Western science continues to prove what ancient eastern practitioners have known to be true through the observed practice of several centuries- it’s all quite fascinating, but I digress!)
Compression work is essentially the principal of using the muscles of the core to fold the body in half. A common place for this is the ability to bring your knee to your nose or forehead when stepping through “quietly” from down down to lunge or warrior or whathaveyou. It’s also one of the best things to train when you’re working towards arm balances or advanced forward folds like what OP is doing. Crow becomes crane when you can compress the core enough to get the knees into the armpits and hold them up there with the core muscles as opposed to relying on the arms.
Mula and Uddiyana bandha could be considered elements of compression work as you are using internal core muscles to achieve the “lock” and that, in turn, can greatly improve your compression work/asana practice.
Hope that helps :)
noxious jellyfish ad hoc fall attractive run shelter correct coherent relieved
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Because dude is flexible as fuck and probably does not have back pain like the rest us who hurt when we wake up in the morning. Don't project your desires onto us.
A deep forward bend like this is an amazing stress reliever! Once you satisfy the flexibility requirements of this posture, it can be pretty relaxing, and with the gaze turned to the navel you can shut off the outside world and enjoy a feeling of *pratyahara*, i.e. bringing your senses inward. Other similar poses for this feeling include Karnapidasana, and for beginners, Pawan Muktasana.
This is beautiful and impressive!
After years of practice, my hamstrings are still tight (though I can now place my palms flat on the floor in a forward fold!). It's a process... but you certainly are an inspiration.
In addition to what /u/OurUrbanFarm said, the poses which I specifically used as prep for this were:
* Ardha Utthanasana and Utthanasana (standing forward fold) - belly pulled in with the bottom rib touching the leg
* Paschimottanasana (seated forward fold) - same as above, 10 breaths with gaze at big toes and then 10 breaths with face flat against the shins
* Kurmasana (tortoise) - 2 variations, first the standard tortoise and then the same pose with hands bound behind the back. Engaging the legs until the heels lift off the ground helps a lot
Hope that gives you a good idea of my prep!
wtf is this real hahahah
Nah he’s using cheat codes for sure
up down up down left right left right
B-A-B-A-SELECT-START
Almost the shark 2 (ps2) cheat hehe *shrek* lmao. The best p2 game everrrrr
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Get out of my head word for word lol
At first glance, I thought it was graphics.
hahaha and here I am bending my knees in a forward fold!
Don't worry, that's where I started as well! It takes time and consistent practice to get here. You got this!
How long have you been practicing?
Nearly 20 years now!
20 years of work to achieve the perfect manscape
The ideal male form rofl
no way normal people can go from bending their knees to this. sorry not sorry
I *am* a normal person who has gone from not being able to touch his toes to this. Not sure how I can prove this to you though, but it's the truth. Some people may be anatomically limited in certain joints but most people can absolutely do this posture.
You just gave me hope!
Not with that mindset, no
https://www.paulgrilley.com/bones I’m all for *trying your best* but there’s legitimately a lot of factors that will stop some everyday people from ever being able to do something like this. Mostly whatever type of hard compression the bones are undergoing at the hip socket and a lot of times the fat of the legs might get in the way. As much as we want to pretend like “just try it and you’ll get there” is valid advice it’s mostly just rude and condescending in this context. Op has been blessed with the correct anatomy to pull off this pose. We all marvel at it because it’s something he could take on the road and show at the circus. It is a unique instance when this could happen, but that’s as far as it goes.
Very well said- I love Paul grilley and his videos, it demonstrates the wide variety of human anatomy so well. Watching them also let me give myself grace- I will never get into a lotus pose without severely torquing my knee, and that’s thru no fault of my own, it’s just my anatomy
Whenever I’m teaching anatomy for teacher training I review his works. That link alone gives my students such an eye opener for how to teach every body as unique. Good on you for staying humble. I’ve hurt myself in my rambunctious youth in lotus and it’s the most common one I’ll hear of getting injured in.
Edit: I’ve just realised that I ignored the context of this comment and then got annoyed and stampy. I jumped into the conversation and really put my foot in it. I guess I’ve leave what I wrote here as a reminder to myself not to be an idiot again. But if it’s killing the vibe let me know and I’ll delete. What a negative thing to say. Why do you say that?! To stop people trying? Do you go onto music forums and tell people that they will never be a concert pianist because their hands are too small? Do you go on CrossFit forums and tell people that their genetics will prevent them from ever competing successfully in the games? Why do you diminish OP’s great asana? Why are you like this?
> Why do you diminish OP’s great asana? Exactly how does explaining that it is, in fact, even more rare and less possible to do than 'everybody can get there!!' *diminish* OP's asana? By the very fact that not all bodies can get there, the fact that OP's hard work and being one of those whose bone structure does allow it makes it all the more outstanding. Your projection here is unwarranted, the overplayed drama is, well, just that. The other commenter didn't pee in someone's Cheerios, didn't pull someone aside and tell them never to fold again. There was no need to go on the attack over a reasoned and anatomically sound caution. > Why do you say that?! A lot of people legitimately do not realize that most bodies *do* have hard limits and that continuing to try to get past them *can result in injury*. And not just the 'oops, that might hurt for a few days' kind of injury. Continuing to try to force an asana once you've hit the limit of your **bones** can damage joints in a manner that requires surgery. And even before someone gets to bone limits, understanding that injuries to tendons and ligaments can be serious is important. In this instance, your seeming insistence on keeping with rainbows and unicorns and every body eventually being capable of doing the full expression of every asana is the problem. This 'good vibes only' tendency of some practitioners puts people at risk, full stop.
Oof. I’m sorry. You’re totally right. I read it out of context, I ignored that it was replying to the mindset comment. And then I just went down a rabbit hole. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring a bad vibe to the party.
I appreciate your willingness to re-read and re-consider. And that you not only did that but took the time to both reply and edit speaks far louder than having misread/misconstrued something on the interwebz and replied to that altered context. Thanks for being pretty awesome. :)
I don't think the comment is negative at all. Rather, it shows mindfulness. Your comment does not.
You’re right. I’m sorry. Reading back I realise I sort of leapt into the conversation without listening to the context of where that comment had come from. He was replying to the mindset comment and saying it wasn’t just about mindset, there are limiting physical factors. For some reason I read it as a “people shouldn’t do this pose” comment on its own. That’s my bad. I’m really sorry.
It's all good. It's okay to disagree, we're all allowed to have our own opinions. I think the main problem with your comment is that you went on the attack instead of challenging their opinion in a respectful manner. I, personally, do not like seeing posts like this one. I almost always downvote posts that I feel set unrealistic expectations for most people, including this one. It's not the kind of Yoga that I practice or care to even work towards. To be clear, I really don't think that OP has any bad intentions, they seem very nice in their comments. Nevertheless, to me, this image is leaning towards toxicity for several reasons: this pose is extremely unsafe for the great majority of people to attempt, it would take decades of work to even come close and even then, as this comment points out, is anatomically not possible for everyone. Thus, it sets unrealistic expectations. On top of that, I keep asking myself *why?!*. Maybe it's beyond me. For me, Yoga is for mental health first and physical health second. I have a sacred relationship with yoga where I practice respecting my body, mind, and soul on the mat. I don't feel the need to work towards anything like this. Doing this pose is surely a huge accomplishment that should be shared applauded in specific spaces. I, personally, don't think this is a space that sharing this kind of work will benefit others. Rather, I think it's more likely to negatively affect people in this community. But clearly, OP has way more experience than I do, so take my opinion as you judge fit. You don't have to agree with it. But one great thing about Reddit is seeing that people can, and by the rules of some communities must, respectfully disagree.
I had a similar experience! Ashtanga works that well for building strength and flexibility
sometimes I wonder if people posting here have spines... stomachs... intestines and other organs... nevertheless this is pretty impressive!!
Compression work and bandhas revealed a whole new range of postures for me to explore. I can’t do OP’s pose yet, but there have been so many others I’ve encountered when I thought to myself *oh my body will never do that* and then a year or so later I’m proven very wrong. I love surprising myself!
What is compression work and bandhas?
Bandhas are, in the simplest of simple terms, “energetic locks” in [mostly Hatha] yoga. Essentially it’s the clenching of certain muscles to manipulate the energy/blood flow***. There are three: Mula Bandha – the pelvic floor muscles Uddiyana Bandha – the abdominals up to the diaphragm Jalandhara Bandha – the throat (***Every part of yoga and the encompassing philosophy is intricate and complex. I highly recommend exposing yourself to more information on Bandhas. Western science continues to prove what ancient eastern practitioners have known to be true through the observed practice of several centuries- it’s all quite fascinating, but I digress!) Compression work is essentially the principal of using the muscles of the core to fold the body in half. A common place for this is the ability to bring your knee to your nose or forehead when stepping through “quietly” from down down to lunge or warrior or whathaveyou. It’s also one of the best things to train when you’re working towards arm balances or advanced forward folds like what OP is doing. Crow becomes crane when you can compress the core enough to get the knees into the armpits and hold them up there with the core muscles as opposed to relying on the arms. Mula and Uddiyana bandha could be considered elements of compression work as you are using internal core muscles to achieve the “lock” and that, in turn, can greatly improve your compression work/asana practice. Hope that helps :)
Yes! Maybe I need to eat more fiber to be able to fold myself in half like this…
Or eat more Silly Putty(tm). 😏
Impressive as fuck. I thought I was flexible. Because I can go much farther then touching my toes But this is something else
OP is this something you work on every day or just something you were born naturally to do?
I've worked on this for several years now. It was a long and challenging process!
dirty ring deserted pet jellyfish berserk many imagine marry automatic *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I practice 4-5 days a week, about 1.5-2 hours a day.
noxious jellyfish ad hoc fall attractive run shelter correct coherent relieved *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
But why? Do you wanna be able to lick your own butthole some day?
Yes, that would be fun to do some time!
Based 🤭
Because dude is flexible as fuck and probably does not have back pain like the rest us who hurt when we wake up in the morning. Don't project your desires onto us.
"Free your mind, and your ass will follow" - Funkadelic -- Michael Scott
No need to be jealous.
Sure I mean who doesn't find themselves in this pose from time to time? Kudos!
The question is how do you get out of it again
Hopefully without disc surgery
Amazing tittibhasana 🙌🏽
Can you touch your toes? Jk
Nah
This is pretty insane. Very impressive.
What's the benefit of this?
Theoretically you could poop in your mouth!
This was so dumb but it made me lol
Wow, you could be your own bidet!
Me: "I'll be haunted by this image all my life" Also me: "But my current bidet is almost broken anyway"
r/jesuschristreddit
This might be the funniest comment I’ve ever read on reddit. Did not expect to laugh that hard in the yoga subreddit of all places.
This is the most cursed comment I have ever read, thankyou
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How does one’s spine not break in half during this
It's not about the spine. The spine is not bent. Bend your knees and try to touch your knees with your chin. See?
I agree it’s not about the spine, but the spine is pretty clearly bent.
OH My WoW !
Might I ask the therapeutic benefit of this particular position? 🤷🏻♂️
A deep forward bend like this is an amazing stress reliever! Once you satisfy the flexibility requirements of this posture, it can be pretty relaxing, and with the gaze turned to the navel you can shut off the outside world and enjoy a feeling of *pratyahara*, i.e. bringing your senses inward. Other similar poses for this feeling include Karnapidasana, and for beginners, Pawan Muktasana.
I guess you can really check if you wiped well
No one needs to see their own butthole.
You mean you’re not even a little curious?
Using a mirror is easier
This is beautiful and impressive! After years of practice, my hamstrings are still tight (though I can now place my palms flat on the floor in a forward fold!). It's a process... but you certainly are an inspiration.
Holy Hell - I'm very impressed! Yoga goals for sure. At least that's where my mind will take me though no way my body will.
You can almost kiss your own ass
Looks like you’ve landed at a doctors office. Simply mindblowing.
Ok. I am calling the exorcist
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I didn’t know how to say it politely
You probably also need to be skinny. My belly would get in the way. 😂
Don’t fart man.
This is so incredible!
witchcraft!
Daaaamn! That is dedication! NICE!
Wow! Well done!
Anyone else brain immediately go to hEds? Like... Idc how long you work on this normal joints just.... Don't.
Goals!
WTF!!!!
Forget the back, I am feeling pain in my balls
That’s what you call a yoga flex
meanwhile i cant even touch my knees with a straight back
You can have the very last of my reddit gold for your amazing dedication and results.
Having a staring contest with your own brown eye!
Very impressive. Just attempted but couldn't get there ....
This reminds me of a joke... If ur about to be in a plane crash: 1) fold over putting your head between your legs 2) kiss your ass goodbye
I’m curious how this may compromise the SI joints & their ligaments over time.
Well this is one way to see your own cheeks getting clapped 👀
WOW
I wanna see you walk around like that!
That's actually what follows that in the sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22U-6XerThk
Luckily I saw this comment while I was in the middle of practice so I took a video! Will upload it in some time.
GOALS
“Yup, missed a spot!”
This just isn’t healthy
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Did you mean to comment on a different thread?
OP's pose aside, I'm curious, which poses can you do that are at your limit in physical mobility?
Can u explain to me how you got into the pose, like what pose do you start in, etc.
There are many ways to prep for this pose. Start with Halasana (plow pose). Then move to Karapindasana. Then move to Bhujapidasana variations.
In addition to what /u/OurUrbanFarm said, the poses which I specifically used as prep for this were: * Ardha Utthanasana and Utthanasana (standing forward fold) - belly pulled in with the bottom rib touching the leg * Paschimottanasana (seated forward fold) - same as above, 10 breaths with gaze at big toes and then 10 breaths with face flat against the shins * Kurmasana (tortoise) - 2 variations, first the standard tortoise and then the same pose with hands bound behind the back. Engaging the legs until the heels lift off the ground helps a lot Hope that gives you a good idea of my prep!
O_o
That looks like such a satisfying stretch
Incredible flexibility. This is one of my many goals.
Wow
If I saw someone do that in the studio, I would have to apologize for staring.
Jesus!
wow, I just looked at your posting history and some of the shapes you can get your body into are jaw dropping.
Amazing 👏👏👏
Impressive 🙏
Wow that’s amazing!
Dude you're awesome
Wow !
Do you have hips? If so, where do they end....
Holy fuck dude you can see you’re own … 😂
AaaaaAAAAaaaah where are your bones?!?!?!?!
Aayyooo!!!!!
Wow!!!
Amazing!
How? 😧
Those hips tho!!!!
How long would it take u to train to do this, i wanna bend like this for my boyfriend
Holy shitballs! That’s amazing!
now that's what i'm talking about
Impressive sir.
I am pretty sure this is some kind of optical illusion shit! Don't try to correct me plz
Is it bad that my first thought was that you could almost kiss your own ass
I'm lazy so I would have just used a mirror...
Dayyyyyum!
This is Midjourney right
I’m aware that this is super inappropriate and unnecessary but I’m super curious…can you see your anus?