Lengthening Your Spine

In any yoga pose, one thing that you can do is to lengthen the spine.

While lengthening, imagine that there is always room to lengthen it more. You can then occupy your senses (and your responses) by trying to find that room to lengthen.

Use the same mindset when relaxing. Relax your spine by letting the ribs sink down and the head move forwards. You then create the opportunity to lengthen again.

Using the Pelvis as a Reference.

Generally I use the pelvis as the first foundation or reference for lengthening the spine. I then lengthen the ribs away from the pelvis. My ribcage is then a second reference point. Move the head away from the ribcage.

You could also just focus on moving both head and ribcage away from the pelvis.

However if you focus on moving the ribcage away from the pelvis you can use this to specifically lengthen the waist. Then when you move your head away from your ribcage you can use that focus to lengthen the neck.

In either case the direction you are moving is clear.

So that it is then easier to lengthen your spine even when upside down, get used to the feeling of lengthening your spine. And also get used to the idea of switching references.

Being able to do both (feel your body, and switch references) gives a greater ability to handle new and interesting yoga poses effectively.

Cross Legged Forward Bend

In the Cross Legged Forward bend the intent is to make the spine and arms feel long.

First focus on drawing the ribs away from the pelvis.

If you are more upright then you will be drawing your ribcage forwards and up. If you can bend forwards more, that can mean drawing the ribs more directly forwards.

You can then focus on drawing the ears away from the ribcage so that the neck is long.

To make the arms feel long, focus on reaching the hands away from the ribcage.

Hold the Length then Hold the Relaxation or…

In the above pose you can focus on gradually lengthening forwards for a minute. Then you can focus on relaxing. Let your arms bend. Let your head and ribcage sink down, also for a minute.

Another option, and this is the way I sometimes start, is to slowly lengthen then slowly relax and repeat. Use a repeated slow count of eight to slowly lengthen and slowly relax.

I have difficulty Bending Forwards!!!

What, you can’t bend forwards? The main intent in this pose is lengthening the spine and arms. So if you can’t bend forwards and lengthen then sit upright and lengthen upwards.

Here again the pelvis, or even the floor, can be the main reference, Move ribs and head away from the pelvis, the lift the arms and reach the arms up away from the pelvis.

Fill your mind with the idea of reaching up. This is as opposed to the idea of “how much longer do I have to do this for.”

For this pose also you could gradually lengthen and hold or you can lengthen and relax repeatedly (but slowly.)

Some Tips on Making the Arms and Legs Feel Long

Most of use haven’t spent the time to learn to feel our knees and elbows. If you have your elbows slightly bent, you can practice slowly straightening them and then bending them so that you can learn to feel when your elbows are straight. You can do the same with your knees.

If you practice moving and feeling your knees and elbows in isolation it’s generally easier to then feel when your elbows and knees are straight without too much effort.

If we don’t take the time to practice feeling elbows and knees then we may have the experience where we think they are straight but really they aren’t.

If your knees and/or elbows are straight when the pose requires then you’ve got maximum length at those two places.