{"id":66798,"date":"2019-02-11T10:25:35","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T15:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wanderlust.com\/?p=66798\/"},"modified":"2019-02-11T14:41:23","modified_gmt":"2019-02-11T19:41:23","slug":"flexibility-hyperextension-and-slow-flow-your-questions-answered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wanderlust.com\/es\/journal\/flexibility-hyperextension-and-slow-flow-your-questions-answered\/","title":{"rendered":"Flexibility, Hyperextension, and Slow Flow: Your Questions Answered"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lot of questions can arise when starting or deepening a yoga practice\u2014and that’s a good thing. Asking questions means you’re really tuning in to your body, and paying attention to its\u00a0subtle changes as your practice develops. Here, Wanderlust co-founder and\u00a02019 Wanderlust 21-Day Yoga Challenge<\/a>\u00a0teacher Schuyler Grant answers some common questions.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Sign up for the\u00a02019 Wanderlust 21-Day Yoga Challenge<\/a>, and explore what the practice can mean for you! Free access is available March 4\u2013March 24.<\/strong>\u00a0For more information,\u00a0click here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Asking questions is one way to make your life easier. Another? Get a streamlined feed of what you care about every morning. Sign up for the Daily Skimm<\/a>\u2014it’s delivered to your inbox each morning, giving you all the news and info you need to start your day. Making it easier for you to live smarter. We\u2019re proud to be partnering with theSkimm for the 21-Day Challenge. Wanderlust +\u00a0theSkimm<\/a>: Your morning, made.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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WL Community Member: <\/b>I have hypermobile elbows, and I struggle with some of the arm positions. What can I do?<\/span><\/p>\n

Schuyler: <\/b>This is quite common. I would suspect that you have hypermobile knees as well. You basically need to fire the muscles of your arms (and legs) to create the feeling of a subtle backbend to the elbow (and knee) joints. You will have to work harder than everyone else, because you do NOT want to ‘hang’ in the hypermobile joint. You might also think of your forearm slightly spiraling in, as your upper arm spirals OUT, keeping a micro-bend in the elbow. <\/span><\/p>\n

WL:\u00a0<\/b>My knees hyperextend and I’m finding it to be difficult to do some of the straight leg poses without letting them go too far. The issue is my legs shake like an earthquake when I try to hold them straight. Any tips or advice on how to deal with this?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Schuyler: <\/b>Hyperextension is a huge issue for a lot of people. It’s imperative that you don’t ‘hang’ in your joints. You will injure your knees sooner or later. (This is also hard on the lower back.) You want to always think of the very top of your shinbone moving forward in space as your thigh bones move back, as you engage your lower quad. The net effect will be a micro-bend in your knees, but though activation<\/em>\u00a0rather than slouching into bent knees. You will develop these muscles quickly if you do it\u2014providing you don’t just go into your lax ligaments. I would say the pose that you have to be most\u00a0vigilant is Trikonasana<\/a>. There’s a great modification where you prop a block at an angle behind your calf to give your shinbone support, but that would be difficult without a pic<\/a>!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

WL:\u00a0<\/b>I particularly suffer with tension in my shoulders; are there any positions you’d recommend to ease shoulder\/neck tension?<\/span><\/p>\n

Schuyler: <\/b>Oh man. All of us need neck release. I really like long slow head rolling. I also like to slowly<\/em>\u00a0stretch my arms out to the sides, flex that hand and then just as slowly<\/em>\u00a0release and roll my head toward the opposite shoulder. Make sense? Similarly, sitting in Vajrasana, you can pin one palm between your heel and your butt (on the same side as the arm), and then roll your head in the opposite direction. <\/span><\/p>\n

WL: <\/b>How do you best deal with imbalance? My one side is stronger and more flexible<\/a>. Is it a matter of keep working both sides or do you work one side more to get them to match?<\/span><\/p>\n

Schuyler: <\/b>It can be great\u00a0to incorporate spending double\u00a0the amount of time on the side that needs more (whether strengthening or stretching). Make sense? OR do the side that needs more twice, and the side that needs less just once. Of course if you’re following an online class, this means you need to artfully pause!<\/span><\/p>\n

WL:\u00a0<\/b>I\u2019m confused about the alignment for Tadasana\/Mountain Pose. Is it better to do feet together or feet hip distance apart? <\/span><\/p>\n

Schuyler: <\/b>Tadasana can be practiced with the feet together OR the feet at hip distance. They\u2019re both great\u2014just different. (Hip distance = easier, more stable and grounding. Feet together = lighter, brings you to your midline, encourages Mulabandha.) I often teach hip-distance specifically because I want to set up hip distance postures in a flow sequence. And yes, the block<\/a> also teaches the action\u00a0of hugging to the midline\u2026 which is beneficial for SO many reasons!<\/span><\/p>\n

WL:\u00a0<\/b>I\u2019m confused about Down Dog. What do I need to know? <\/span><\/p>\n

Schuyler<\/b>: I would say that the absolute basics for Down Dog are that you want to be vigilant about working good arm\/shoulder alignment (tabletop and DD are the poses where beginners usually start bearing weight on the hands\/arms. If they are done improperly, it will set up a cascade of bad alignment and potential injury to the wrists and shoulders.) <\/span><\/p>\n

So first be sure that you are externally rotating your upper arm bones and hugging your arm bones into their sockets, and at the same time be sure that you are grounding your inner\u00a0hands. (These two actions will counter one another\u2014it’s challenging, but just keep at it!) <\/span><\/p>\n

Then be sure to bend your knees and lift your heels at least a little, if your hamstrings\/lower back are tight, so you can use your quads and core to draw your bodyweight up and back out\u00a0of your hands. If you jam your legs straight, and you lower back rounds, you will often feel like all your bodyweight is pouring into your arms and wrists, and that sucks. Good luck!<\/span><\/p>\n