kapotasana

[Guest guest]

I understand your feelings about kapotasana. It's a wonderful "opening up"

pose, and very challenging to get in to oneself.

 

I've tried using a strap in various ways: eg., around my knees, ends back

through my feet on my mat: not very helpful, because, unless you hold both

straps, one side pulls the other. I've thought of looping the strap around

each leg before putting the ends back through my feet and along the mat, but

I've not tried it yet.

 

I've also put the strap under my lower shins, with the ends streaming back

down the mat, and this kinda worked, too, as I walked my hands in to my

feet... but if your shins don't firmly press in to the mat, then this option

won't work for you.

 

Having tried these two ways, I actually find just working the pose in the

following way (without a strap) to be helpful: Start on the knees and

shins, and before leaning back, think of lifting your chest upward and then

backward, as if you are going up and over a beach ball behind you. That is,

if the thighs start to tilt backward, rather than staying upright, you'll

have trouble reaching your feet. By lifting upward, then up and over an

imaginary ball behind you as you go backward, and not sqeezing the buttocks,

you'll get to the point when your fingertips touch near or on your toes,

and then you can walk your fingertips in and get your hands on your feet.

Press the shins in to the floor, and imagine the inner thighs rolling

inward, as if the front hip points are coming together, giving room for the

tailbone to point toward the floor, away from the lower back (creating space

there). The knees will naturally spread apart a little bit, but if the

buttocks isn't squeezed, they won't go too far.

 

Camel pose is such a great prep for this; practice it with the thighs

against a wall, and keep them there as you lift upward and then backward in

to the pose. Then, do the same action as you go in to kapotasana.

 

Hope this makes sense.

Namaste,

Heather Marie

 

 

 

> Message: 4

> Wed, 14 Dec 2005 08:12:31 -0000

> "kneejerkpatriot" <kneejerkpatriot

> Kapotasana.

>

> Hello,

> I am an ashtangi from Edinburgh, Scotland. I have made it up to

> pincha mayurasana in the Intermediate. When being adjusted I can get

> my ankles in kapotasana and it is a great confidence booster and

> opener for me. When no-one is adjusting me I feel the posture is a

> little flat and have difficulty getting my big toes. Anyone got any

> advice as how to work deeper into kapotasana? Maybe using belt??Thanks

> Chris.

>

>

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