Cross-legged pose and child pose

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@marzipanj
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2013 6:49 am
Location: Bridgewater, Maine

Cross-legged pose and child pose

Post by @marzipanj »

I come from an ashtanga background so some of my pose names may be off, but I've loved yin yoga for a long time and am now teaching a local community class. My students are primarily older women, many of whom are farmers. We live in a rural farming community, and I find that these women are very strong and flexible in some ways, but extremely inflexible in others. Many basic poses, including cross-legged and child, are difficult for my students.

Does anyone have advice about building these basic poses, especially increasing hip flexibility, but in a yin way? I don't want to scare people off. For instance, with one student, I have found no variation of an easy cross-legged seated pose with which she can be comfortable. I'm thinking if I can find the gentlest possible variation and if we can do a yin practice, with long 3-5 minute holds, she can begin to build flexibility. Other students have great challenges in child pose (snail in yin?), especially those who are overweight or obese. Again, I have tried all variations I know (wide knees, wide knees and wide feet, a block beneath the hips, beneath the forehead, etc.), and am wondering if anyone else has any thoughts.

If we had a vast array of props, mainly bolsters, I could find a way for students to be comfortable in these poses, but we're at a local community center and have nothing like that. I've tried to convince people to bring blankets, but so far no one has. My goal is to find variations of these poses that people can experience without pain.

Would love any comments! Thanks!

Melissa
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

What to do with really stiff people?

Post by Bernie »

Hi Mellisa

It sounds like many of your students would benefit from restorative yoga, as opposed to Yin Yoga. (You may want read this article explaining the differences.) Not having props is a problem, but - do you have a wall? If there is some wall space available you could try the Wall Yin practice. This may be especially effective for the student who can not sit no matter what you do for her. There have been a few threads talking about people who are overweight. You may also want to read these.

It is quite natural, as teachers, for us to want our students to have the ultimate experience of yoga - to open and be able to move in natural ways. However! Realize that while you think that you are not offering very much to your students and their progress is minimal, they may be getting tremendous benefits that you can't perceive. They do keep coming back from some reason! Just trying to sit on the floor may be the real benefit: don't overly worry about the poses. I have found that for very stiff people, it really doesn't matter if they can't do poses the way we describe them in books. Whatever they can do is great for them: again - simply getting down on the floor is their practice. Don't be in a hurry to rush them to "sitting properly."

Your instincts about props is valid: keep encouraging them to bring blankets but also explain why they should do so. Ask them to remember their intentions: why did they come to your class today? What did they intend by coming? If they really wanted to achieve that intention, it will be easier and safer if they simply brought a blanket or a thick towel.

Good luck.
Bernie

ps - in Yin Yoga we call Child's Pose - Child's Pose. Snail is similar to the yang posture called Plough. You can see all these poses explained and named here.
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