There are a lot of different ways to do lunges – high, low, on the ball of the foot, heel planted, arms up, arms down, chest up, chest lowered, yadda, yadda. I’ve seen teachers handle Crescent Lunge (Chandrasana) and Warrior (Virbadrasana) I in a number of different ways as well, but I’m just going to talk about legs for the moment.
I used to think of Warrior I as a lunging pose (of sorts) with the heel planted. And then I went to a workshop with Gary Kraftsow where he made it a hip/hip flexor stretch. It’s difficult (with the heel planted) for most people to get an effective lunge in Warrior I because their muscles don’t have the length and/or their quads aren’t loose enough to release. Kraftsow showed it as a core/balance builder in addition to a hip flexor stretch, and it often works as a calf stretch as well.
The difference is in two parts:
1. The hips point forward. For most people, this means a shortened stance which means
2. The forward leg can’t bend as deeply.
I like this for several reasons. First, It’s gentle on the knees and helps students learn what the ‘safest’ knee position is (directly above or slightly behind the ankle). Second, it stretches the calves which aren’t emphasized in a lot of asanas. Pressing back through the heel helps to stretch not just the superficial muscle (gastrocnemius) but also the deeper muscle (soleus) depending on the flexibility of the student and length of time holding the asana. Third, it’s a confidence builder. Once the students find a balanced position, they can raise their arms and focus on the upper body while still keeping the lower body active. The number of different muscle motions which can happen in any asana are sometimes hard to illustrate without seriously fatiguing your class, and this is a good one to use. Tucking the tailbone under activates the glutes in the back leg and forces a stretch into the hip flexors.
My approach to Crescent Lunge is completely different – other than the safe knee position and hips pointing forward. For Crescent, bring yourself onto the ball of the back foot and then find the balance position. Lift the chest and lengthen the spine, then lift with the back leg. Lifting with the quadriceps will straighten the leg, so press back through the back heel as well. When you find the balance point again, tuck the tailbone under slightly (activates glutes), squeeze thighs toward one another, lower the hips (if desired) and then bring up the arms. Take a couple of breaths with the arms up and upper body engaged before lifting the sternum for a gentle backbend. As the core strength and lower back strength increases, it’s easier to deepen the backbend without losing balance and stability.
Um. Yeah. So Your Mileage May Vary. I save my hip opening for Trikonasana and Warrior II (among others) because I like to get students to think about having their hips in a plane.
And, courtesy my anatomy exam this week, there may be a post on the shockingly small number of muscles in the lower back and how that relates to backbends.
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