SPREAD FEET INTENSE-STRETCH POSE
Sculptor frederick wellington ruckstull said, “Everything in nature folds at evening.” Life is full of alternating opposites, such as inhaling and exhaling, sleeping versus waking, and fight or flight versus rest and digest. Each of these dualities demonstrates a dynamic balancing of opposites. Sequencing in yoga can be used to exaggerate a cycle of expansion and contraction. We begin with poses that open the front of the body and close with poses that draw the energy inward. At the conclusion of the standing series, we fold forward into Prasarita Padottanasana to relax. Note that this pose is also an inversion, in that it places the head below the heart and stimulates the pressure receptors in the heart, aorta, and carotid arteries. This shifts the autonomic nervous system from fight or flight to rest and digest.
We can use triangulation to locate the focus of the stretch, here the hamstrings and gastrocnemius/soleus complex, extending into the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum muscles of the back. Flex the trunk forward while extending the knees to create two vertices of the triangle. Flexing forward draws the ischial tuberosities (the origin of the hamstrings) upward. Extending the knees draws the insertion of the hamstrings away from their origin. This action also draws the origin of the gastrocnemius away from its insertion on the Achilles tendon. The third corner of the triangle is the stretch at the backs of the legs and the trunk.
Attempting to draw the hands forward when they are fixed on the mat brings the trunk deeper into the pose and lifts the ischial tuberosities higher; this deepens the hamstring stretch. This is an example of using a subplot, in this case flexing the elbows and shoulders, to contribute to the main story of the pose (flexing the trunk forward and straightening the knees).
Add a physiological component to these biomechanical actions by engaging the quadriceps to stimulate reciprocal inhibition of the hamstrings, causing them to relax into the stretch. Finally, balance eversion and inversion of the ankles by simultaneously contracting the peroneus longus and brevis and tibialis posterior muscles. This creates stillness and stability at the foundation of the pose.
Begin with the hands on the hips and the feet spread apart. Activate the quadriceps to straighten the knees. You can use the cue of “lifting the kneecaps” to bring awareness to this action. Flex the knees slightly as you bend forward to release the hamstrings at their insertions on the lower legs, and note how you can draw your trunk deeply into the pose. Engage the hip flexors and abdominals to squeeze the torso against the thighs. Fix the hands on the mat and bend the elbows to draw the trunk deeper. Hold the trunk in place and engage the quadriceps to straighten the knees. Stabilize the ankles by pressing the balls of the feet into the mat, while at the same time lifting the arches. Bend the knees to safely come out of the pose.
STEP 1 Engage the psoas and its synergists to flex the hips and draw the trunk forward over the legs. Then squeeze the abdominals to activate the rectus abdominis. Contracting these muscles creates reciprocal inhibition of the gluteus maximus, quadratus lumborum, and erector spinae muscles, allowing them to relax into the stretch. Note that when the femurs flex, the pelvis tilts forward, drawing the ischial tuberosities up.
STEP 2 Activate the tibialis anterior and posterior to turn the feet in (inversion) and lift the arches. Balance inversion of the ankles with a slight eversion force. The cue for this is to press the balls of the feet into the floor. This engages the peroneus longus and brevis muscles at the outside of the lower legs to stabilize the ankles. Contract the quadriceps to straighten the knees. This creates reciprocal inhibition of the hamstring muscles at the backs of the legs. When the hips are flexing, the gluteus minimus acts as a synergist to the psoas and also internally rotates the hips, as illustrated here. Visualize this muscle creating these actions.
STEP 3 Press the mounds at the base of the index fingers into the floor. This calls on the pronators teres and quadratus to internally rotate the forearms. Contract the wrist flexors to press the hands into the mat. Then attempt to bend the elbows by engaging the biceps and brachialis muscles. Because the hands are fixed on the mat, the force of this contraction is transmitted to the torso, drawing it deeper into flexion. Now, consider that the toes point forward. Engage the anterior deltoids and attempt to drag the palms forward on the mat as if to raise the arms overhead. The force of this contraction draws the torso deeper into the pose. The elbows tend to drift outward here. Engage the pectoralis major to adduct the elbows, and note how this synergizes the forward flexion of the torso. All of this illustrates how a secondary action of the shoulders and arms can be used to affect the primary focus of the stretch at the backs of the legs.
STEP 4 Press the palms into the mat and attempt to rotate them externally, like washing a window. This cue activates the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles of the rotator cuff and externally rotates the humeri. Draw the shoulders away from the ears, using the lower third of the trapezius. Note how these two actions—externally rotating the shoulders and drawing them away from the ears—open the chest forward and deepen the flexion of the trunk.
STEP 5 Combine these steps to stretch the entire posterior kinetic chain, including the gastrocnemius/soleus complex and the hamstring, adductor magnus, gluteus maximus, quadratus lumborum, and erector spinae muscles. Inverting the feet (turning them inward) stretches the muscles that evert the feet, the peroneus longus and brevis. Eccentrically contract these muscles to stabilize the ankles. Remember that the prime movers of the pose activated in Steps 1 and 2 initiate reciprocal inhibition of the muscles that stretch here.
