Lunge (Lunge)
You probably have noticed, that as you get older your body feels more stiff, you may feel more heavy and sluggish and maybe even your range of movement has decreased. These are reasons more and more people are turning to Yoga. Yoga helps us find the balance between strength (lightness) and flexibility (fluidity). Depending on our personality, physical activities we’ve done through life and even our age, we tend to have more flexibility or more strength.
A consistent yoga practice will make you stronger and you’ll begin to feel a sense of lightness. A consistent yoga practice will increase your range of movement and you’ll naturally become more flexible. In our daily habits, we tend to use the same muscles and engage in similar movements and many muscles and areas of our body are neglected. In Yoga, you may discover parts of your body you’ve never felt before — just allow for this journey of exploration.
I will talk you through a pose that I believe provides a basis for playing around with finding the balance between strength and flexibility — lunge pose.
First, come to table pose — Palms on the floor under the shoulders and fingers spread and knees placed under the hips so the front thighs are vertical. Feel your connection to the earth and take a couple breaths here. Modification: Place a blanket under the knees if direct contact to the floor/mat causes discomfort to the kneecaps.
Step the right foot forward between the hands. You can use your right hand to help get the foot forward. The right shin should be vertical so the knee is over the right ankle.
Ground the sole of the front foot into the floor and spread the toes. Press the hands or fingers lightly into the floor as you lift the torso and gaze straight ahead.
As you take an inhale, lift the torso upward and engage the shoulder blades. Try not to sink into the shoulders — you can avoid this by lifting the torso, reaching through the arms and broadening the collarbones. You can take your hands to blocks/books to get more lift so you don’t sink into the shoulders.
Slide the left knee back until you feel a comfortable stretch along the front of the left thigh (quadricep muscle). As you exhale, let the hips gently sink toward the floor. The hips won’t sink much, maybe just a millimeter. Be here a few breaths - inhaling lifting and lengthening, exhaling gently sinking the hips. Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras says each pose should be steady and comfortable. Be present, if this stretch is too intense, make modifications to find comfort. Don’t let the hips sink too much toward the floor if your left quadricep muscle doesn’t like it. Make the pose enjoyable for you.
Next, turn the left toes under and straighten the left leg. Use the back leg to help bring strength to the pose, and gently keep letting the hips sink toward the floor to increase flexibility in the hips.
Reach the left heel back so the back of the left thigh is reaching up toward the ceiling. Remember, let the pose be steady and comfortable. If the back leg or knee doesn’t feel good straightening, bend the knee slightly or bring the knee back to the floor.
A little more challenging, lift the torso more and take both palms to the right thigh. This will require you to use the leg muscles more, especially the back leg.
Gently press the palms into the thigh and lift the torso upward and draw the shoulder blades toward each other and down the back. Reach through the back heel to keep the back leg strong. Gaze softly forward and relax the jaw and neck. Take a couple of breaths here.
Drop the back knee and return the palms to the floor or blocks. Step back into table pose and rest here for a few breaths. Repeat with the left leg forward.
This variation of Lunge Pose increases flexibility in the quadriceps and hamstrings and increases strength in the legs. It also brings openness and flexibility to the hips allowing to sit more comfortably in sukhasana (comfortable cross leg pose) and baddha konasana (bound angle pose).
Justina Brewer