Sun Salutation

So you know how the instructors always tell you that as you prepare to bend forward in Baddha Konasana you should "open your feet like a book?"

I have never been able to do that. My feet *hate* Baddha Konasana. Also, in the past, I have not been very flexible in this posture.

Well, I had the aha moment.

I have in the past not worked very hard on understanding this posture. I was reading about it in Cool Yoga Tricks, and realized that I really needed to concentrate on getting my knees to move closer to the floor. (I know, I know, hush. This is what comes of being one's own teacher! Years to come to basic realizations!) When I concentrate on that, my flexibility in the posture increases immediately.

And?

Voila! My feet open like a book!!!

It is nothing to do with the feet or hands or ankles. It's a natural result of the hips opening allowing the legs to fall apart, changing the way the soles of the feet come together.

Years! But it finally happened!

When I started doing the Yee disc (Power Yoga Total Body), I used to worry that I was going to sprain my big toes, particularly my left one. I couldn't figure out what I was doing, but it was bad and I was doing it a lot.

Then I quit yoga, and most exercise, for a long time while I was pregnant and nursing.

Then I came back to exercise through weight traning and aerobics.

So before I re-started a lot of yoga, I had been doing a lot of strength work with my legs and butt. Squats in particular with a lot of weight.

When I started doing yoga again, I could really tell the difference having much stronger legs made.

In particular, I realized that how I was hurting my toe was that I was using it to push off when I left a lunge pose and stepped my foot back forward. I realized for the first time that the power in that move is not from the back foot pushing off. That foot is supposed to sort of float forward, as you take all your weight in your front thigh and draw the back leg forward to the standing forward bend.

Wow.

It makes a HUGE difference. That's why Shiva Rea says to move "like you are walking on the moon." That back leg is just along for the ride.

It occcurred to me to share this insight this morning after I did the Yoga Zone routine with all the deep lunging. My legs got very tired, and I started pushing off with my toes and I immediately felt that bad old feeling from the beginning.

One thing I know from the internet, if it has happened to me, it has happened to thousands of other people. If this is a problem you have, try to be aware of how you are stepping forward. Honestly, as with a lot of yoga, this is yet another component that becomes easier when you have supplemented your exercise with other disciplines. You might consider some weight work on your legs, if you have access to equipment. In any case, focusing on that transition of weight so that the work is in the front leg could really make a difference.