Ok to use baddhakonasana?

[Guest guest]

Hi all,<br>This time my questions should be much

easier to answer. <br><br>I'm surprised every day at

how much my body is opening up since I've gone vegan-

even when I skip days of practice, I sit in front of

the tv and am pulling my legs deeper and deeper into

ardha padmasana or padmasana, and it feels fun,

dangit!<br><br>But anyway, Marich D is the big bogeyman still. I've

marveled at finally being able to get into B and C lately,

but the hips need to open up more (and I have to work

on the twisting, which I can deal with in the

standing asanas) for D. Would it be ok, even though I'm

not really ready to go past navasana, to throw in a

baddha konasana every now and then to help the hip

opening (particularly my left side)? If so, where should

I put it?<br><br>Or should I just be paying more

attention to hip opening earlier in the series, as early on

as virabhdrasana?<br><br>Thanks for your

advice.<br>Namaste,<br>bodysings

[Guest guest]

baby, get those hips open - it is the only way to

prevent countless knee re-injury in those numerous half

lotus poses that precede badda konasana.<br>(Unless of

course if you have wide open indian hips or are a young

teenager.Then you won't need it.)<br><br>Please, baddakonasana

is one of the most benign poses. You just put your

feet together and relax. Don't do the forcing thing.

Just have fun. (The more you force the more the

muscles will rebel.) Breathe. <br>And if a traditionalist

wave his finger at you, just say - it is not a pose,

it is the way i like to sit. <br>Ok- now everyone

can jump all over me.

[Guest guest]

Tshamoya,<br> Your posts have such a wonderful

energy. I can see why Jois was drawn to you. Follow your

own judgment about what you need to do about your

violation, and don't doubt what you know happened to you. I

would like to think that a guru as great as Jois would

be able to find a way of adjusting the women he is

drawn to somewhere in the space between groping, and

not adjusting them at all.<br> I really don't buy the

"poor old guy" argument.

[Guest guest]

Bodysings, I agree fully with tshamoya about just

sitting around in baddhakonasana. I do it lots and it's

fun, even when you pry open your feet so as to make

the knees go to the floor or wherever they want to go

right now. (Of course the forward bend is best left for

when you are warmed up.)<br><br>About earlier postures

such as virabhdrasana: very clever that you have

noticed that they are related. The person who first

showed me ashtanga said that we should try to have

"baddhakonasana thighs" when in these postures, that is, hips

opening apart -- and also each thigh sorta rotating

outward around the axis of its femur. (Hmm, does that

make sense?) Anyway, it was good advice and helped not

only with virabhdrasana but also with all things

padma.<br><br>Peace and Good,<br>Homer

[Guest guest]

somebody posted earlier an approach one of the

encinitas instructors uses. 3 times a week hs has a

"workshop" class. he will start off with an extended

standing series and some of the serated postures. he will

then spend approx 20-30 minutes working on one area,

such as opening the hips. we will do 5-6 different

postures, some not in the first series, designed to focus

on that one area. it changes from class to class. i

find it to be quite helpful and a welcome change of

pace. there's no question i have progressed better in

some areas with that focused attention. find an

astanga instructor and do a similar private or semi

private if they don't have a class like that

[Guest guest]

Ever tried supta baddha konasana? It's a

restorative pose that's used in Iyengar classes. You

basically lie down on your back while your feet and legs

are in the pose; a belt is tied under your feet and

around your waist to keep your feet from sliding

forward, and you put a bolster or blankets under your

lower back for support. This is SUPER

relaxing...<br>Obviously, the pose won't fit in well with your ashtanga

flow, since you'll have to stop and assemble yourself

with the props, but you don't even have to use it as

part of your routine. I've been doing it later on in

the day, if I feel tired, or sore from morning's

practice. It's really a passive kind of thing - your legs

will just open up by themselves. I've found that doing

this has improved my regular baddha konasana,

too.<br>For better instructions on how to do it, consult the

book "Yoga the Iyengar Way" or your local Iyengar

yogi/teacher. Enjoy!<br><br>amrita