Yoga belly

[shelleyt]

Hi,

I'm new here and though I've been practicing yoga for over a year now, I still can't step my feet between my hands to come up from downward dog. Firstly because I have tight hamstrings, but probably more so because I have a size 18 belly. It's even more of an issue because I've been leading (after our real instructor moved) our "yoga club" in our town. I'm probably intermediate level for everything else, but when leading the Sun Salutations this does not help new people learn proper form.

Any tips for getting around this (no pun intended)

Glad to find you all!

Blessings,

Shelley

[InnerAthlete]

Hello Shelley.

Might you clarify please what you mean by "steping my feet"? From Adho Mukha Svanasana which pose are you doing next? What pose are you stepping up to? Did you mean "foot" or "feet"?

I think there are several issues at play in your post and I suspect you are referencing a sequence that is typical of power, flow, vinyasa sorts of yoga asana practice.

Once you clarify I can provide a better response.

[shelleyt]

Sorry, it was late. I edited this right after posting, but maybe you were still too quick for me. It should say: Step my feet between my hands after down dog.

[InnerAthlete]

So then you are going from Adho Mukha Svanasana to Uttanasana (standing forward bend)?

Honestly, it is not that relevant whether you can easily step your feet up. You do not get any yoga demerits (in Purna Yoga at least) for such things. So I am basically saying "so what" or "who cares". You are fine stepping into uttanasana in whatever way you can get there.

Over time you will open your hamstrings and learn to move your body in other ways. At that time you may be able to step the back leg up to the hands (or maybe not). This is a transition and it's not critical. You have the body you have and the practice should accomodate that body rather than some body ideal.

[shelleyt]

Thanks InnerAthlete... I certainly hope so. It's just an irritation that I'm impatient to get around. I had thought some of the pre-natal yoga practitioners might have dealt with this.

As you say it's not critical and has not stopped me this far. I have seen my own improvements in other ways... just not those hamstrings.

Thanks again!

BTW, may I ask who the sketch on your avatar is? From clicking your link it doesn't appear to be you.

[Nichole]

Hello Shelley and welcome to the forum,
Since InnerAthlete's advice was spot on, I feel like I can go in another direction with my response. I would like to say that having excellent form for you means that your form accommodates a size-18 belly and hamstrings that have some room to lengthen. This was Krishnamacharya's message to his students for yoga practice: Adapt to the individual. Doing anything else than adapting for your body is doing another's yoga practice and not your own. And you seem to be progressing and enjoying your practice, which is wonderful!

Now that your role in class has gone from that of a student to more a teacher, considering having another student model what you want to demonstrate as standard range of motion or technique. I was taught to have students model for the rest of the class, rather than do it as a teacher. There can be too many judgments placed on the "performance" of the teacher and it can impact the dynamics of the classroom. Too perfect, as well as less than standard, had repercussions with the students.

I know this doesn't answer your original questions, so I hope you won't mind that I added this. Perhaps someone will have something else to offer you too.

Best wishes for your practice and that of your club's!

Originally Posted by shelleyt

Hi,

I'm new here and though I've been practicing yoga for over a year now, I still can't step my feet between my hands to come up from downward dog. Firstly because I have tight hamstrings, but probably more so because I have a size 18 belly. It's even more of an issue because I've been leading (after our real instructor moved) our "yoga club" in our town. I'm probably intermediate level for everything else, but when leading the Sun Salutations this does not help new people learn proper form.

Any tips for getting around this (no pun intended)

Glad to find you all!

Blessings,

Shelley