Low lunge pose has long been recommended for tight hip flexors. These are the muscles on the top of the thigh that tighten up from prolonged sitting. But overstretching in this pose can lead to hip and low back instability and pain. It is important to know the body's limits.
Downward dog: the foundational yoga pose. The pose that is supposed to "reset everything." The pose that feels so good to practice when you wake up.
Sitting well is not complicated. It requires common sense and some intuition. When you sit well, your back feels good because your vertebrae have adequate space and circulation. Your breath is slow because your diaphragm elevates and depresses without restriction. Your neck and head feel level and without tension. You are able to concentrate because your eyes are not straining.
The human body is amazing. If one muscle or joint is not working optimally, the body can compensate by using a different area. You can get by for quite a while without a problem. Then, seemingly out of the blue, your shoulder hurts. You didn't even do anything! And then your back starts to hurt. And then you notice, your knee feels a little strange. What is happening? You are falling apart!
Yoga can be used to improve our flexibility, but if we are not practicing carefully, it may cause a hypermobility (the loss of control at a joint). This is what can lead to injury.
