When I first started practicing yoga, I was a hot mess in Triangle Pose. I thought that if I touched the floor with my hand, I was achieving the best possible version of the pose. I watched everyone around me placing their hand to the floor and tried to imitate their action without any awareness of my body in space and what I was doing with it. It took some time for me to understand and feel it in my body when following cues from the instructor. Once I realized that I had tight hamstrings, I knew that Triangle Pose would be a challenge for me. I heard horror stories of people pulling their hamstrings in class and lived in constant fear of doing the same. I forced myself to be aware of my alignment every time we approached it in class, consciously setting myself up in order to feel the stretch in my hamstrings without hurting myself. Triangle Pose is now one of my favorite poses and when a teacher skips it in a Vinyasa class, I miss it.
Leg Stretch #2 changes the orientation of Triangle Pose, letting you feel it differently in your body. The action of the hip lowering down to the floor as you stretch your leg off to the side mimics Triangle Pose in the standing position. Check out Jill Miller’s video below!
Watch our videos about feet and ankles.
It can be so tempting to mimic or compete with those around you that often leads you to miss what the position or stretch is actually designed to do. A great reminder to listen to the cues and concentrate on what’s happening with your body. It can be a challenge sometimes but well worth the benefits. ~Thank you!