Body and Breath - Yoga Shop Talk

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Yoga shoptalk, November, 2002

Question: I started yoga out of curiosity a year ago and for the first six months attended class once a week, but in the last six months I have been going 3-4 times a week. I have noticed that my back has become very flexible in that I can hold the bow pose, full wheel, camel, and other backbending postures with ease. However, my hamstrings are still very tight. In a forward bend, I can barely touch the ground with my fingers keeping my knees straight. Could you give me any tips or recommend poses that can help me stretch my hamstrings? My eventual goal is to lay my palms on the ground in a forward bend. Thank you, incidentally, for writing an immensely helpful book. I purchased it last month and have been finding it very interesting.

Answer: Because the hamstrings are the primary limit to forward bending, and because they seem especially resistant to stretch and lengthening, this is surely one of the most frequently asked question of hatha yoga instructors. I have five suggestions:

First, concentrate on practicing asymmetric hamstring stretches, whether sitting, standing, or inverted, focusing, of course, on the many varieties of forward bending postures. Trying to stretch and lengthen the hamstrings symmetrically on both sides at the same time creates intense tension on the base of the pelvis and lower back, but working on one side at a time helps stabilize both of these important regions while permitting concentrated attention to the hamstring muscles on one side. You can do any given stretch (see the many forms of forward bending in chapters three through nine) three times, once on the tighter side, once on the less resistant side, and once more on the tight side.

Second, concentrate on long, slow stretches, especially sitting (chapter six) and to lesser extent inverted (chapters eight and nine). The point of this approach is twofold (chapter one): to gradually lengthen the hamstring muscles by adding sarcomeres to the ends of the individual muscle fibers, and to coax the nervous system to relax and let go of excess hamstring tension.

Third, practice asymmetric dynamic standing postures daily (see especially chapters four and seven), giving special emphasis to the early stages of forward bending in which you bend initially from the hips. Feel the hamstring stretch on one side in each case, and stay in the preliminary position for longer than usual, realizing that if you complete the pose you will have lost your focus of attention on the hamstrings and will have shifted it more generally to forward bending in the spine and hips in combination. Standing poses are also extremely important for developing strength. If you only do relatively passive sitting and inverted poses, you can gain flexibility in the hamstrings without developing the overall muscular strength and joint robustness that is desirable for preventing injuries.

Fourth, concentrate on stretching the adductors as well as the hamstring muscles proper since many of them have a hamstring quality (chapter six, pages 333-334). That is, a portion of the adductors take origin from the ischial tuberosities and insert on the thigh, thus limiting forward bending as effectively as the hamstrings. Any sitting, standing, and inverted pose that is done with the thighs abducted will stretch the adductors. And for an asymmetric sitting pose that will clarify how the adductors act as hamstrings, try the sequence on pages 369-371.

Fifth, pay attention to relaxing and lengthening the hamstrings and adductors by strengthening their antagonists. The quadriceps femoris and the hip flexors (the psoas and iliacus) are antagonists to the hamstrings, and hip abductors such as the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and piriformis are antagonists to the adductors. To strengthen the quadriceps femori, for example, practice the chair pose. Stand with the feet a few inches apart, bend the knees, and drop your weight. A standard skier's exercise is even more effective. To do this one stand with your heels 12-18 inches from a wall, lean back, drop your weight while flattening your back against the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor, and hold the pose until your quadriceps femoris muscles are objecting seriously. Over time this work will help the quadriceps femoris muscles tame the hamstrings.