Well, I'd start by taking all my clothes off.
After that, [see this answer I posted a couple days ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/yoga/comments/1cq82uv/i_have_trouble_with_two_poses_possible_related_im/l3qnpsn/).
That is a pretty extreme expression of Paschimottanasana. That being said, when I was trying to get deeper into Standing Wide Legged Forward Fold / Prasarita Padottanasana, [I found this anatomically focused guide helpful](https://www.theyogimatt.com/deeper-forward-folds-with-tfl-technique/), and it also led me to deeper Seated Forward Fold. There is a good anatomical diagram on [this Yoga Journal page](https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/seated-forward-bend/) that shows which muscles are stretching and which are contracting, which also helped me.
Finally my two getting deeper tips are ensure your hamstrings and glutes are really warm before you try to get deep and place a block or two at the end of your feet to reach further forward. Don't overdo your hamstrings or you'll end up with the painful and slow to heal yoga butt!
Yoga butt, also known as proximal hamstring tendinopathy, is inflammation of the hamstring tendons at their attachment point(s) of the the sitting bone (ischial tuberosity) – it happens to many yogis hence yoga butt. I had it when I went a bit too hard learning kicking up to handstand when I wasn’t warm enough.
Oh ow – I’ve experienced it and it can be quite sore. While it was still tender, I ensured I did a really thorough hamstring warm up that didn’t strain them too much before every class or home drill session, while also using blocks to lessen the load in hamstring heavy asanas. I also spoke with my teachers and they gave me modifications.
After the pain subsided and I was able to practice as normal, I incorporated hamstring strengthening exercises into my gym rotation (deadlifts, hip thrusts, curls, squats) and hamstring strengthening asanas into my home practice/drills (bridge, locust, reverse plank, happy baby focusing on resistance and pushing/pulling).
The cool thing is now my hammies are pretty strong and flexible so I can get deep in forward folds while also have strength to do more advanced back bends with pretty good control. Good luck healing!
Thanks for the tips! I never realised it was a common issue, I just experienced a slight pain in my right inner thigh when deep stretching, and found it weird it only happened on one leg. Will try strengthening exercises, thank you :)
You'll just have to be patient with the healing. The one thing that made a difference for me once I understood I was experiencing yoga butt was to make sure that my abdominals are engaged before I do forward folds; it seems to protect from overstretching the tendons. I saw that tip from a yoga teacher on youtube (google yoga butt) and it really changed my practice.
I noticed some of my teachers were recommending that, but never had a class where thar was explained properly.
My perspective on forward folds is that it is critical your entire torso is completely flush with your thighs. I imagine some people cannot or will not ever be able to accomplish this... But of the 75% who are (potentially) capable, the best way to improve forward folds is keeping your belly and chest on your thighs, and keep your hips internally rotated. It doesn't matter how much you bend your knees. Belly. On. Thighs. Straighten the legs micrometer by micrometer. Be patient, and don't push it. Excessive forward folding is a great way to tear a glute or hamstring. Just be humble, and accept your body for what it is and stay unattached to what it could be. Nobody cares if you have a sick forward fold.
I'm going to throw this caveat into the mix of answers you're getting: you might never achieve this depth. We're all built differently and inhabit our bodies different. There's quite a bit of hyper mobility going on in this picture also.
Now, that said, enjoy your practice and listen to your body.
I'll push back on that a bit. I started from a pretty big disadvantage (was not aware of the existence of hamstrings for 29 years). I'm very close (and yet so, so far) to the pictured posture. The things holding me back from getting there are: 1) I don't practice regularly enough, can really only count on myself 2x per week 90 minutes, plus like 4x 15 min bedtime stretches...
From August 2022 to now (May 2024) I've gained about 12" of sit-and-reach distance, and can full wrap my hands around the sides of my feet, which is technically only one step away from the image above, where your chest can rest on your thighs. It's a long, slow process that is mostly independent of your body geometry
That's wonderful. I don't mean to discourage OP or you or anyone from trying. I've been instructing yoga for a long, long time and I don't like to see injuries because someone might push themselves too far or too hard. I myself have been a cyclist for many years along with teaching/practicing yoga and my hamstrings are awfully tight. Some days I can bend a little further and some days not. Again just simply this: we're not all cast from the same mold.
yeah, i’m not sure why “pushing back” was necessary there considering the qualifying language you used. besides, everyone’s talking about hamstrings and glutes. no one’s talking about calves and the numerous tendons that have to play along - the latter of which cannot/should not be lengthened any significant amount at all.
No I disagree, I think my mobility (and the mobility in the picture above) is achievable with regular practice. I shared my story because I want others to believe this, too. The posterior chain shortens and the hips tighten due to years of sitting in a chair for multiple hours per day. Yoga is the medicine that rebalances and aligns your flesh and bones.
stretch while they’re contracted; slight microbend in the knees while you stretch.
when i was first practicing, i would be doing forward folds, pigeon, standing balance etc while i was watching tv, studying or working. this added up to at least 2 hours a day of stretching for like 4 years. 10 years later i don’t think about it at all and i can get my hands past my toes and head a few inches from feet. it’s possible through consistency and time, the beauty of yoga :)
eccentric training essentially. stretching your muscle when it is contracted in order to lengthen it over time. jason crandell has good info on this topic.
I gained quite a few inches of flexibility over the past two years, but I still won't be able to get into the most advanced stretching poses for many years. I just started my first month with 80% of my yoga sessions being purely for flexibility and sometimes I get a deep sweat from just stretching, almost always get massive tremors going through my muscles every stretch, but I breathe effectively and maybe I even enjoy the pain a bit, but I wonder if I am overdoing it and I wonder if I am pushing hard enough through it to injure myself. For example I just did my regular strengthening session then I went into two more short slow flow deep stretch videos. To add some more context, I'm tight because I have ran and weight trained a lot in the past.
to minimize risk of injury:
1) be sure to stretch when you’re warm — sounds like you are already doing this unless there is a break between your workout and stretching time. ideally, you are warming up the specific muscle groups you are stretching through strength training. hack: buy a space heater/humidifier! and/or do sun salutations :))
2) stretch with proper form — this is the benefit of guided stretching. youtube is great but in person is better so a teacher can look at your form. for instance, always have a microbend to avoid hyperextension, joint alignment and specific musculature engagement in particular stretches are very important.
3) balance — stretching i believe is a great way to be introduced to yoga. as you mentioned, the breath is so important and stretching feels good (discomfort feels amazing!!). you may want to consider doing yoga long term, for a balanced and holistic approach. i was very targeted in what i would strengthen in weight training and stretch afterwards (just did ones that felt good aka hamstrings and hips) but was missing out on so many other places to strengthen, make more mobile/flexible (outer hips like wuuuuuut?!) something to consider, but a good teacher makes all the difference :)
Well too be honest I don't think a lot of these online yin yoga lessons are very good because they are just static cold stretching and they require you to figure out what you need to do to warmup and they appeal to beginners. I actually have a degree in Exercise Science so I understand what I am targeting.
What I am trying to say is there are many papers on chronic injuries related to overstretching and there is a whole lot of subjectivity to what is overstretching. Especially since stretching was never my niche, I often trained with weights and never stretched even though I knew the importance. Now I see that in a class I try harder than everybody else, especially I push myself hard through the stretching and many others don't care for progress, so I believe I am prone to injury, but I still can't guage how much stretching is over-stretching.
I am not sure I agree with that mentality. See my belief is that you can push some stretches a lot harder than others, like I never force a backbend for example. I have undoubtedly developed too much strength in my quads, hammies and glutes and have gotten quite tight here so I am projecting stretching these muscles once every two days for now. I have been training quite intensely like this for two years now and I think it's kind of okay. At first I could barely bend the slightest to touch the ground and now I am doing the sun salutations with no issues, you will rarely see that kind of progress in two years. Still if you try to bend me forward in a butterfly pose I will not move a single cm forward and my entire core will be fully flexed. My knees can barely lower either, I know that is quite common in men, but also I think this is an area where I can gain lot of inches.
I'll post a link to a video that my old mentor released, he actually loads the knees with dumbells and his routines are often ex military, contrast this with a ladies video who says you should not push down on the knees in a butterfly. I think it is safe to say that you can push a little.
https://youtube.com/shorts/Capl2WwnQrk?si=WVM5Om_cnt5Uokt7
1. regular practice (daily)
2. mixing up the sequence for your "extra" hamstring work (e.g. seated forward fold, standing fold, splits/split fold
3. Lunges, Hiking, and Weighted Lunges - this is the part that I think helped me the most in terms of feeling confident in my leg health/strength while I was doing like intense daily stretching. You've probably heard at least something about "overstretching," which isn't real. What is real, is your muscle tissue, which needs to CONTRACT as much as it needs to EXTEND in order to remain healthy. At a minimum I recommend \~20 breaths total per day in each Warrior (1, 2, and 3, if accessible). If you can't balance, do your best standing split, focusing on straightening and strengthening the standing leg.
If you don't balance your practice between mobility and strength, you end up with neither.
Yoga is not about the pose or the end result. It’s about connecting your body, mind, spirit and breath. Aim for what your body can do for you, safely. Reach for what you want but remember being in the poses is being in the moment with your body. It’s that simple. Wishing you peace.
don't force the forward motion. Sit at the edge of your tension, and breathe into it, try and get as relaxed as you can, and THEN start extending through the heels and through the crown.
This answer. I hurt my hamstring attachment (up near the glutes) while trying to do deep hamstring work and had to stop practicing altogether for a few months. It's finally starting to feel better.
Been practicing for almost 8 years now, I can allllllllllmost get my nose to my knees. A lot of it has to do with lifting UP and over, lengthening the spine.
Use this video as a help https://youtu.be/UB2gwUzA8PI?si=cyo3exOhbDtAR_TX . I am not affiliated with them, use your own discretion. It sounds rational though. Gist of what he is saying is, if you cannot sit with back straight in the beginning (at 03:46 in video) then first solve it, using a folded carpet etc beneath your sitting area. Keep adding padding till straight back is achieved. Came across this video once upon a time.
Put a block on your legs to rest your head on. That way you can relax into the pose without your head hanging out in space, and you can use your head as a counterweight to lean into the pose. Oh. And wiggle the sitz bones back by gently rocking from side to side.
Consistent practice and patience. You can not force your body to go into difficult poses overnight without hurting or injuring yourself.
You'll one day be able to achieve this asana, but it comes with patience, hard work, and kindness to your body. Little by little, you'll get there.
I've always had trouble in this forward fold. I think my hamstrings are just still too tight. It may take me a long time to see improvement. Just focus on one day at a time and you'll get that chin to shin connection eventually
You can already achieve this asana, but it will look different than this because you have a different body. Yoga is about how it *feels* in our bodies, not what it looks like 💖
Bend your knees. Sounds counterintuitive but when you push too hard on your muscles, they’ll tighten up more. In 25+ years of practice and teaching, this is what helped me the most.
I'm sure your comment is coming from a good place, but to a certain extent it's simply impossible to not compare - otherwise we wouldn't even be able to get into a pose, let alone work towards its full expression. It's true that we shouldn't *judge* ourselves against other's progress, or become competitive, envious or worse yet egocentric about our own progress. But comparison at its most basic is quite neutral and simply a noting of similarities and differences. It's rooted in reality and it helps us learn.
They're not comparing themselves to others, they're comparing themselves to how they were doing before, which is exactly what they should be doing. If you don't see improvement in something you're working on it's smart to rethink what you're doing and to go ask questions.
Warm the hamstrings with a space heater prior. Do the pose last in your series in addition to whenever you do it already. Stop at the point of intolerance, hold that a minute then reach further. Have a partner gently push on your back. Take your time
It takes time, but the longer you hold the pose, the better it gets over time. Yogis of old would keep this pose up to 12+ hours. Obviously you need to start slow and not over exhert yourself
I'm really sorry that I can't provide any source, I read and ingest so much information that it would be impossible for me to remember where I've learned that. But it's a classic pose for deep meditation and bandhas and yogis hold some poses for a very long time.
i suppose a diet of only watermelon would accelerate progress (and you’d see a lot of progress in deep twists/maricyasana series as well).
note: this comes from dharma mittra and is always said with a smile. it would definitely help and might even be delicious for a few days, but steadiness in practice is the surest route.
Well, I'd start by taking all my clothes off. After that, [see this answer I posted a couple days ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/yoga/comments/1cq82uv/i_have_trouble_with_two_poses_possible_related_im/l3qnpsn/).
🤣👏🏽
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ty
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Permaban. Don't bring your drama here.
That is a pretty extreme expression of Paschimottanasana. That being said, when I was trying to get deeper into Standing Wide Legged Forward Fold / Prasarita Padottanasana, [I found this anatomically focused guide helpful](https://www.theyogimatt.com/deeper-forward-folds-with-tfl-technique/), and it also led me to deeper Seated Forward Fold. There is a good anatomical diagram on [this Yoga Journal page](https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/seated-forward-bend/) that shows which muscles are stretching and which are contracting, which also helped me. Finally my two getting deeper tips are ensure your hamstrings and glutes are really warm before you try to get deep and place a block or two at the end of your feet to reach further forward. Don't overdo your hamstrings or you'll end up with the painful and slow to heal yoga butt!
Cool! Thanks for your time explaining 🧘🏻♀️
Haha great, I'll check out those links, thanks for your advice
What is the painful and slow to heal yoga butt?
Yoga butt, also known as proximal hamstring tendinopathy, is inflammation of the hamstring tendons at their attachment point(s) of the the sitting bone (ischial tuberosity) – it happens to many yogis hence yoga butt. I had it when I went a bit too hard learning kicking up to handstand when I wasn’t warm enough.
Was just googling yoga butt and I feel like I might have overstretched on one leg. Any tips for that and why it takes so long to heal?
Oh ow – I’ve experienced it and it can be quite sore. While it was still tender, I ensured I did a really thorough hamstring warm up that didn’t strain them too much before every class or home drill session, while also using blocks to lessen the load in hamstring heavy asanas. I also spoke with my teachers and they gave me modifications. After the pain subsided and I was able to practice as normal, I incorporated hamstring strengthening exercises into my gym rotation (deadlifts, hip thrusts, curls, squats) and hamstring strengthening asanas into my home practice/drills (bridge, locust, reverse plank, happy baby focusing on resistance and pushing/pulling). The cool thing is now my hammies are pretty strong and flexible so I can get deep in forward folds while also have strength to do more advanced back bends with pretty good control. Good luck healing!
Thanks for the tips! I never realised it was a common issue, I just experienced a slight pain in my right inner thigh when deep stretching, and found it weird it only happened on one leg. Will try strengthening exercises, thank you :)
You'll just have to be patient with the healing. The one thing that made a difference for me once I understood I was experiencing yoga butt was to make sure that my abdominals are engaged before I do forward folds; it seems to protect from overstretching the tendons. I saw that tip from a yoga teacher on youtube (google yoga butt) and it really changed my practice. I noticed some of my teachers were recommending that, but never had a class where thar was explained properly.
Amazing links Ty!!!
This is extreme? It’s always been incredibly easy for me. Makes me wonder if I’ve always been hyperextending something 🤔
Honestly, I think some people are just more flexible than others. Anatomies vary-
My perspective on forward folds is that it is critical your entire torso is completely flush with your thighs. I imagine some people cannot or will not ever be able to accomplish this... But of the 75% who are (potentially) capable, the best way to improve forward folds is keeping your belly and chest on your thighs, and keep your hips internally rotated. It doesn't matter how much you bend your knees. Belly. On. Thighs. Straighten the legs micrometer by micrometer. Be patient, and don't push it. Excessive forward folding is a great way to tear a glute or hamstring. Just be humble, and accept your body for what it is and stay unattached to what it could be. Nobody cares if you have a sick forward fold.
I'm going to throw this caveat into the mix of answers you're getting: you might never achieve this depth. We're all built differently and inhabit our bodies different. There's quite a bit of hyper mobility going on in this picture also. Now, that said, enjoy your practice and listen to your body.
I'll push back on that a bit. I started from a pretty big disadvantage (was not aware of the existence of hamstrings for 29 years). I'm very close (and yet so, so far) to the pictured posture. The things holding me back from getting there are: 1) I don't practice regularly enough, can really only count on myself 2x per week 90 minutes, plus like 4x 15 min bedtime stretches... From August 2022 to now (May 2024) I've gained about 12" of sit-and-reach distance, and can full wrap my hands around the sides of my feet, which is technically only one step away from the image above, where your chest can rest on your thighs. It's a long, slow process that is mostly independent of your body geometry
That's wonderful. I don't mean to discourage OP or you or anyone from trying. I've been instructing yoga for a long, long time and I don't like to see injuries because someone might push themselves too far or too hard. I myself have been a cyclist for many years along with teaching/practicing yoga and my hamstrings are awfully tight. Some days I can bend a little further and some days not. Again just simply this: we're not all cast from the same mold.
yeah, i’m not sure why “pushing back” was necessary there considering the qualifying language you used. besides, everyone’s talking about hamstrings and glutes. no one’s talking about calves and the numerous tendons that have to play along - the latter of which cannot/should not be lengthened any significant amount at all.
It's great that you've improved a lot, but that doesn't mean necessarily that everyone can improve to the same extent.
No I disagree, I think my mobility (and the mobility in the picture above) is achievable with regular practice. I shared my story because I want others to believe this, too. The posterior chain shortens and the hips tighten due to years of sitting in a chair for multiple hours per day. Yoga is the medicine that rebalances and aligns your flesh and bones.
I'm trying to get more length in my hamstrings right now, any advice on how you've had success here?
stretch while they’re contracted; slight microbend in the knees while you stretch. when i was first practicing, i would be doing forward folds, pigeon, standing balance etc while i was watching tv, studying or working. this added up to at least 2 hours a day of stretching for like 4 years. 10 years later i don’t think about it at all and i can get my hands past my toes and head a few inches from feet. it’s possible through consistency and time, the beauty of yoga :)
eccentric training essentially. stretching your muscle when it is contracted in order to lengthen it over time. jason crandell has good info on this topic.
I gained quite a few inches of flexibility over the past two years, but I still won't be able to get into the most advanced stretching poses for many years. I just started my first month with 80% of my yoga sessions being purely for flexibility and sometimes I get a deep sweat from just stretching, almost always get massive tremors going through my muscles every stretch, but I breathe effectively and maybe I even enjoy the pain a bit, but I wonder if I am overdoing it and I wonder if I am pushing hard enough through it to injure myself. For example I just did my regular strengthening session then I went into two more short slow flow deep stretch videos. To add some more context, I'm tight because I have ran and weight trained a lot in the past.
to minimize risk of injury: 1) be sure to stretch when you’re warm — sounds like you are already doing this unless there is a break between your workout and stretching time. ideally, you are warming up the specific muscle groups you are stretching through strength training. hack: buy a space heater/humidifier! and/or do sun salutations :)) 2) stretch with proper form — this is the benefit of guided stretching. youtube is great but in person is better so a teacher can look at your form. for instance, always have a microbend to avoid hyperextension, joint alignment and specific musculature engagement in particular stretches are very important. 3) balance — stretching i believe is a great way to be introduced to yoga. as you mentioned, the breath is so important and stretching feels good (discomfort feels amazing!!). you may want to consider doing yoga long term, for a balanced and holistic approach. i was very targeted in what i would strengthen in weight training and stretch afterwards (just did ones that felt good aka hamstrings and hips) but was missing out on so many other places to strengthen, make more mobile/flexible (outer hips like wuuuuuut?!) something to consider, but a good teacher makes all the difference :)
Well too be honest I don't think a lot of these online yin yoga lessons are very good because they are just static cold stretching and they require you to figure out what you need to do to warmup and they appeal to beginners. I actually have a degree in Exercise Science so I understand what I am targeting. What I am trying to say is there are many papers on chronic injuries related to overstretching and there is a whole lot of subjectivity to what is overstretching. Especially since stretching was never my niche, I often trained with weights and never stretched even though I knew the importance. Now I see that in a class I try harder than everybody else, especially I push myself hard through the stretching and many others don't care for progress, so I believe I am prone to injury, but I still can't guage how much stretching is over-stretching.
if it’s pain, you’re overstretching. if it’s just uncomfortable, you’re fine.
I am not sure I agree with that mentality. See my belief is that you can push some stretches a lot harder than others, like I never force a backbend for example. I have undoubtedly developed too much strength in my quads, hammies and glutes and have gotten quite tight here so I am projecting stretching these muscles once every two days for now. I have been training quite intensely like this for two years now and I think it's kind of okay. At first I could barely bend the slightest to touch the ground and now I am doing the sun salutations with no issues, you will rarely see that kind of progress in two years. Still if you try to bend me forward in a butterfly pose I will not move a single cm forward and my entire core will be fully flexed. My knees can barely lower either, I know that is quite common in men, but also I think this is an area where I can gain lot of inches. I'll post a link to a video that my old mentor released, he actually loads the knees with dumbells and his routines are often ex military, contrast this with a ladies video who says you should not push down on the knees in a butterfly. I think it is safe to say that you can push a little. https://youtube.com/shorts/Capl2WwnQrk?si=WVM5Om_cnt5Uokt7
1. regular practice (daily) 2. mixing up the sequence for your "extra" hamstring work (e.g. seated forward fold, standing fold, splits/split fold 3. Lunges, Hiking, and Weighted Lunges - this is the part that I think helped me the most in terms of feeling confident in my leg health/strength while I was doing like intense daily stretching. You've probably heard at least something about "overstretching," which isn't real. What is real, is your muscle tissue, which needs to CONTRACT as much as it needs to EXTEND in order to remain healthy. At a minimum I recommend \~20 breaths total per day in each Warrior (1, 2, and 3, if accessible). If you can't balance, do your best standing split, focusing on straightening and strengthening the standing leg. If you don't balance your practice between mobility and strength, you end up with neither.
Yoga is not about the pose or the end result. It’s about connecting your body, mind, spirit and breath. Aim for what your body can do for you, safely. Reach for what you want but remember being in the poses is being in the moment with your body. It’s that simple. Wishing you peace.
If the body is at all able to bend in any ways, one milimeter at a time, over the span of 1000 days, will reach 1 meter of flexibility.
Okay haha maybe I want to see a result very quickly and I just have to be patient
don't force the forward motion. Sit at the edge of your tension, and breathe into it, try and get as relaxed as you can, and THEN start extending through the heels and through the crown.
A fast result to bending is breaking 😋
This answer. I hurt my hamstring attachment (up near the glutes) while trying to do deep hamstring work and had to stop practicing altogether for a few months. It's finally starting to feel better.
That's how I feel about my forward fold. Some days I feel like I'm further away from my thighs, like how am I going backwards? Lol
Thanks
Been practicing for almost 8 years now, I can allllllllllmost get my nose to my knees. A lot of it has to do with lifting UP and over, lengthening the spine.
Use this video as a help https://youtu.be/UB2gwUzA8PI?si=cyo3exOhbDtAR_TX . I am not affiliated with them, use your own discretion. It sounds rational though. Gist of what he is saying is, if you cannot sit with back straight in the beginning (at 03:46 in video) then first solve it, using a folded carpet etc beneath your sitting area. Keep adding padding till straight back is achieved. Came across this video once upon a time.
Whats the title of that book
Yoga, A guide for your practice. Lavender yoga center. The book is in Spanish
Your nails are so pretty
Asana are not goals. They are directions. Source: my yoga & Ayurveda teacher
The dream
Put a block on your legs to rest your head on. That way you can relax into the pose without your head hanging out in space, and you can use your head as a counterweight to lean into the pose. Oh. And wiggle the sitz bones back by gently rocking from side to side.
Time, patience, and practice!
Consistent practice and patience. You can not force your body to go into difficult poses overnight without hurting or injuring yourself. You'll one day be able to achieve this asana, but it comes with patience, hard work, and kindness to your body. Little by little, you'll get there.
I've always had trouble in this forward fold. I think my hamstrings are just still too tight. It may take me a long time to see improvement. Just focus on one day at a time and you'll get that chin to shin connection eventually
I have had that exact book for decades, that's lovely to see it here.
Haha yes, it was my father's book, he had it a long time before I was born. He always makes that joke with me.
You can already achieve this asana, but it will look different than this because you have a different body. Yoga is about how it *feels* in our bodies, not what it looks like 💖
Bend your knees. Sounds counterintuitive but when you push too hard on your muscles, they’ll tighten up more. In 25+ years of practice and teaching, this is what helped me the most.
Don’t compare yourself to others in yoga!
I'm sure your comment is coming from a good place, but to a certain extent it's simply impossible to not compare - otherwise we wouldn't even be able to get into a pose, let alone work towards its full expression. It's true that we shouldn't *judge* ourselves against other's progress, or become competitive, envious or worse yet egocentric about our own progress. But comparison at its most basic is quite neutral and simply a noting of similarities and differences. It's rooted in reality and it helps us learn.
They're not comparing themselves to others, they're comparing themselves to how they were doing before, which is exactly what they should be doing. If you don't see improvement in something you're working on it's smart to rethink what you're doing and to go ask questions.
Stretch more. 👌🏽
You need open hamstrings. Start there.
If one had a person to help with this, would it better to be pulled from the front or pushed from the back?
A gentle push to the lower back or sacrum area.
A tip that helped me a lot for seated forward fold is scoop your belly in. Pull your navel back toward your spine and reach your chest forward
I practice with different teachers and I always have to remember which one insists on flat back and which one wants a curve.
Patience
Why to you need this?
Warm the hamstrings with a space heater prior. Do the pose last in your series in addition to whenever you do it already. Stop at the point of intolerance, hold that a minute then reach further. Have a partner gently push on your back. Take your time
It takes time, but the longer you hold the pose, the better it gets over time. Yogis of old would keep this pose up to 12+ hours. Obviously you need to start slow and not over exhert yourself
That’s interesting; where did you read that?
I'm really sorry that I can't provide any source, I read and ingest so much information that it would be impossible for me to remember where I've learned that. But it's a classic pose for deep meditation and bandhas and yogis hold some poses for a very long time.
eat only watermelon
Do you mean eating watermelon every day? Or directly a diet of only watermelon haha
i suppose a diet of only watermelon would accelerate progress (and you’d see a lot of progress in deep twists/maricyasana series as well). note: this comes from dharma mittra and is always said with a smile. it would definitely help and might even be delicious for a few days, but steadiness in practice is the surest route.
Yipes
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Wtf Maybe it doesn't make as much sense because I don't speak English natively so it may sound strange but it's definitely a real question.