How to forward fold
How can we fold forward to stretch the back line of the body without stressing the lower back or hamstring attatchments.
Folding forward is one of the most basic and fundamental movements we learn when we first start to move. Infants do this very well once they have enough strength to support themselves.
As we grow older we start to develop some bad habits that start to restrict our natural movements that we start out so well with. At school we spend hours on end in modern western style chairs, which in my opinion are terrible for the body. They shorten the hips flexors, hamstrings, compress the lumbar region of the back, and turn off a lot of the supporting muscles that get weakened over time in this state.
Unless you grow up in a culture where squatting is a regular and normal movement pattern for you, and sitting in some form of crossed legged position is your go to posture, your hamstrings, low back and hips in general will get tight and lose mobility.
In general for students i reccomend to sit cross legged as often as possible to open your hips and spend as little time as necessary in the modern style of western chair as shown above.
When i personally do any kind of extended sitting i will either lie down in some way or sit cross legged with a wide base ( Sukhasana ) so i can keep that natural curve in my low back which is so much better for the body
New practitioners to yoga will ususlly fold forward incorrectly.
If the hamstrings are short, the hips tight, the lumbar and sacral area tight and compressed you will likely fold forward from the back, instead of the hip. The illustrations below show how different this can be.
In postural yoga we are taught to fold forward from standing first. This is becasue when standing we have gravity on our side and it is much easier to fold forward without compressing our lower back.
In our mind we are mostly concentraing on the hamstrings when we first start to stretch but it is the whole back line of the body we are looking to lengthen. Once the hamstrings are long enough we can focus on lengthening the torso, sides of the body, the neck etc.
When you fold forward you want to focus on corret posture and form. Forget about reaching your feet, or how deep you can go. Often new practitioners will be very keen to grab thier feet and end of placing unnecessary strain on thier back. Be patient, keep good form and go slowly. The hamstrings will lengthen over time with consistent practice.
A good way to practice how to fold forward correctly is to focus on where the energy ( direction ) of the movement comes from.
Start in a seated forward fold ( paschimottanasana ) and place your hands next to your legs around the knee line. The legs are active. Press your feet together and push through the balls of your feet.
Now the legs are engaged correctly i want you to press your hands into the floor. The feeling is if you are pushing your mat away from you sending your hips back energetically. When you do this you should feel a connection to your hip and your lower abdominal muscles should engage some. This engagement in yoga we call uddiyana bandha. This is where you want to initiate your forward fold from.
The energy comes from your feet, up your legs, into your abdomen and then lifts out from this lower region of the pelvis up and forward. Keeping this upward rising energy you fold forward until you stop, keeping good posture.
This is how you should be working in all of your forward folds, whether it be from standing or seated.
This way we keep good posture, work into the right areas and it also keeps the hamstrings safe. A common injury for beginners in yoga is something we call ‘Yoga Butt’. When practitioners are too keen to fold forward they can overuse thier arms and use them to pull themselves forward and down without the correct engagement in the legs and bandhas ( lower abdomals ).
When this happens or due to improper technique, the stretch goes from the belly of the muscles to the atttchment or insertion which can overstreess that area potentially leading to a tear / injury.
We always want to be stretching an area of the body eccentrically.
When we stretch eccentrically the muscles are under load and tension which is much safer as it gives us some resistance to work with. This is especially important for very flexiable practitioners who may be hypermobile who suffer from a lack of feedback and go into stretches without the necessary strength and control.
If you have suffered from a hamstring inury and would like to learn more about how to stretch safely and rehab a potential injury check out my Better Mobility Guide link below to find out more details.
