online yoga forum

I have tight muscles in the pose where you sit on the floor with your feet together, knees out (sorry can't remember the name). My knees are really high up and my hip muscles are tight! It hurts my lower back too. Are there some poses you shouldn't do till you are more flexible?

Hi Helen, it sounds like you're describing Baddha Konasana - 'Bound Angle' also known as Cobbler's Pose. I love this one even though my legs are tight too.

- I'd recommend sitting up high on the front of a bolster or folded blanket if your back is taking strain. You should be sitting on your sitting bones with your pelvis level.

- Take a couple of blankets/ bolsters and wedge them under both your thighs to support your legs and groins at their current level of flexibility.

- Don't feel pressured to take your heels in super-close to your groin; choose a comfortable point where you can connect your soles and feel a pleasant stretch.

- If you can't hold your feet without compromising the tallness and freedom of your whole spine, then maybe place your hands on your ankles, shins or knees.

- You can gently and rhythmically flap your legs like a Butterfly to start to warm the relevant muscles; or apply gentle, even downward pressure to your knees.

- Last but not least, honour where you are - that's real flexibility
( I'd like to thank Yogatea for inspiring that one )

Hope this helps.

Great advice - I'd also add one thing that helps me in the pose. Try and imagine pressing your thighs out to the sides rather than down to the floor. By placing your awareness outwards - your spine should lengthen to the ceiling (rather than pressing down, where the back has a tendancy to slouch and the spine to bend).

Doing yoga will make you more flexible - and until you have the flexibility there are a number of props that can help you stay in a pose, but also give you some comfort & assistance whilst you are there . As props you will need a bolster, 3 blankets, and a strap.

Tailors pose is a great one to do as a restorative posture reclining over a bolster. Place your buttocks on the floor directly infront of one end of the bloster and bring the soles of your feet together. If you have a strap place it around your back so it rests on your sacrum and then draw it over the top of your thighs and around the feet - using the buckle make it as tight as you need to so that your thighs and hips feel totally supported. Place a folded blanket under each thigh for support, and lie back over the bolster gently (if you don't have a strap you can still use these blankets for support - you don't want to feel any pulling in your inner groin, thigh or hips). Place the third blanket on the opposite end of the bolster and rest the back of head on it so that your forehead is a little higher than your chin.

It's also good to have some support for your arms so they don't drop out of their shoulder sockets - you can use additional blankets or blocks for support - and extend the arms out with the palms up.

In this position gravity will work it's magic - releasing your hips, groin and inner thighs. Stay here for 10 minutes focusing on your breath. To come out, slowly roll one knee over your body and drop down to your favourite side - then gently come up to sitting. This is a beautiful posture to release tension in the inner groin and gives flexibility to the hips. Enjoy!

__________________
Be the change you want to see in the world