Collected works and current thoughts
Mind Map from Elwanda Klucik
Science of Stretching Mind Map
Side Leg Pose - asymmetrical
Props:
- Blocks
Setup:
- Sitting, legs in front
- Left foot out, right leg in, heal near crotch
- Blocks near knee on inside
- Walk your fingers out, flip your hands up
Options;
- Heal near groin
- Heal closer to knee (NOT ON KNEE, don’t mess with your joints)
- Block near knee, inside of knee
- Block under bum
- Block under knee
- Block for head on outside of knee
- No bonus points: Head to knee, chest on leg - but that’s beyond Basic Range of Motion
Wild Thing - transition
- Right leg is currently bent (if we started from side angle), set your left foot flat on ground, near knee
- Set you right hand on ground behind, fingers pointing back
- Push with your foot and hand, kick back
- (to me) this is kicking back into a version of side plank, thinking of it that way makes it easier for me
Short Dog
Start in down dog with blocks, bring feet closer (more like rag doll that down dog), look for a stretch in the back of your legs.
Key: Heals solid on ground
Props:
- blocks
Setup:
- Blocks in front of you where you’d put them for a down dog (near front of mat)
- Get into a down dog, hands on bricks
- Step your feet forward to make it narrow, key: heals solidly on ground
- Relax your front and feel stretches in the back of your legs
Options:
- Blocks in front of you
- Stool
- Hands on ground, no blocks
Cat Cow - Transition
5 rounds
- Tuck chin into angry cat, arch back
- Cow stomach down
Flamenco - asymmetrical - three versions
Three variation. May teach together, but 3 asymmetrical poses, 2 minute minimum, that’s 12 miutes
Trick:
- Wrap strap around wrist to allow friction to hold your hand
- Gripping with hand will be hard, but if you are looking for hand grip strength, you’ll get it gripping
Variations:
- 1 / A - Leg up - in line with shoulder, right leg, grab right arm
- 2 / B - Leg out to the side, right leg, grab right arm
- 3/ C - Leg crosses over to other side, right leg grab left arm
- Props:
- Straps
Flamenco 1
- Grab a strap
- Loop it around your right foot
- lie on back
- Lift your right leg up, using strap to hold your leg
- Keep your raise (right) leg straight, same thing with arm
- This uses skeletal structure and ligaments to allow longer holds
- This principle applies in rock climbing, when resting, either lock out your arm, or fold it all the way. In the middle, using muscle.
- (I do this) attempt to rest your right hip
Options:
- Pillow under bum (if leg is less than 45% and it feels like you’re falling foward)
Flamenco 2
He’s targeting groin and back of leg.
- From flamenco 1, open your right leg to the right
- Leg straight, arm straight
Options:
- use a block, stool, pillow to rest your leg on
- Use your right elbow on the ground to keep your foot elevated
- Foot all the way to the ground
Personal observations:
- Feel your knees! Make sure your are not torquing / twisting your knee.
Flamenco 3
- Bring leg back up
- Switch your hands, from right to left, on the strap
- Lower your right leg to the left
- (Learned from yoga) Before rotation, I lift my bum, and shift my left bum to the right a bit, improves the (axial) rotation
- Hips off ground is going to happen
Options:
- Support right foot with stool
- Support right foot with blocks
- I use a meditation pillow, which I never use for actual meditation
Half Fish / Heart Opening - transition
- Seated position, legs in front
- Reach back with both hands
- Set hands on ground, fingers pointed back
- Arch your back
- Press your brest bone/heard chakra to father sky (source of yan energy)
I will be moving this, but either I was confused which video I was watching, or they are doing things in a different order. This is generally correct (I hope), but in the wrong day.
** These are taken from the last class offering, so far things have been the same**
General Notes:
- EPA - Effective, Progressive, Accessible
Are your poses effective. Follow the principals, use the pose chart, and adjust as makes sense. But check the feels. Know the indented areas of the stretch, and make sure the feels are there. The disregard what it looks like
Are they progressive. Always use a timer. Meet or beat your time. Did it 2 minutes yesterday? Then 2:05 today. Work first up to 2 minutes. Then for most poses max out at 5. If a pose is compound, longer might be appropriate. Side splits is something not in the pose chart, but he has said you might hold this one up to 10 minutes.
Are they Accessible? Make modifications. Use a stool. Good things to consider for any pose (to release pressure on back):
- Raise your bum
- Bend your knees (seated, or standing)
Blockhead
Modified forward fold where you rest your head/chin on any number of blocks
Principle: stuck in low back
- prop up bum
- prop up knee
- stool for support
- ** It’s not about what it looks, it feel. Let the Iyengar people judge us, we are not doing yoga, we are doing deep flexibility, using yoga, different intention **
- Don’t grab, walk hands forward and flip up.
- The temptation to grab is big, even sell devices for that, but it violates wet noodle,
- Props:
- blocks
- stool
- pillows
Set up a forward fold:
- Sit on your bum (might need to elevate with block/pillows)
- Extend your right leg in front of you
- Attach your left foot on to your right thigh, close to the groin is ok, ok to move towards knee ** guess: Do not put foot on knee, above, below, but not on **
- Place blocks around your knee, use as many as you need to rest your head/chin on them
Options:
- Bum elevated with block/pillow
- Knee small bend/elevated with block/pillow
- Bench in front of you, lean on it
Wild Thing
Often used after side angle pose (block bridge is a modified version of side angle)
Instruction (from a side angle/block head)
- Place your left foot flat on the ground
- Reach back with your right arm
- Dont think, just do, Kick back
I think of this as a side plank
