Yesterday in class we did something just great. We were doing Supta Padangusthasana (reclining hand to foot pose, see picture and rotate it counterclockwise so the person is lying on her back) with partners. I, of course, was using a strap to hold my foot because the likelihood that I will ever touch my foot with a straight leg is infinitesimally small.
The down foot was pressed against the wall. My partner (and everyone’s, but I’m going to make this just about me) was sitting against the wall beside my down foot and holding a strap that was wrapped around my up leg right at the hip. It didn’t take much, but it was enough to pull my thigh out of my hip just a bit.
It was a great practice. The pose felt wonderful. But the extra great part for me was afterwards. My hips are routinely so stiff that I just about never even come close to touching my feet in a forward bend. After we did this partner practice, I just dropped forward and touched the floor!
Those of you who are flexible may never appreciate how wonderful this is for a person like me, with a lifetime of stiffness. (In high school we had to pass some basic skill tests in PE, including flexibility tests. If you didn’t pass, you had to go to a remedial class, which at my school was called Spaz Class. I was in Spaz Class every semester.)
Joy!
Practice Notes 