I have to confess that this week has been a bust as far as yoga practice is concerned. I did a teeny practice on Monday, went to class Wednesday, and then practiced with Dana at my house yesterday. Priscilla has been out of town, and Kate has been busy or sick.
We did hip openers and some chest openers. I’m having wrist, elbow, and shoulder trouble again, so I really need that chest opening. One of the excellent things about Supta Virasana (reclining hero, one of my do-it-all-the-time poses) is that it stretches the psoas and the upper chest at the same time. As we did it, we talked about the phenomenon of this pose making forward bends easier and stretchier afterwards. I tend to think of Supta Virasana as a quad stretch. I forget about the psoas, that great big muscle that runs along your spine and splits into two to attach to the inside of your hip.
If the psoas is tight, it prevents you from flexing your hips. Of course. This is one of those things I knew but not quite in such an illuminating way.
There’s a good article on the Yoga Journal website about psoas release, written by Liz Koch, author of The Psoas Book. See, I have that book. Why did I forget this information?
Dana, get ready. We’re going to do some of this stuff next Friday, lunges as usual as well as Eka Pada Rajakapotanasana (one legged king pigeon pose, for which I don’t have a thumbnail picture).
Practice Notes 