The splits

I work on the splits on a daily basis. Eka pada koundinyasana (see picture) is not part of my practice. This pose was the asana of day 6 of the #flylikeayogi challenge on Instagram.

A picture never tells the truth. I couldn't hold this pose for  second. I had luck that the camera made click at the right moment.

I just realized that this asana is not part of one of the Ashtanga yoga series. There are so many asanas, it's crazy.

I work on the splits because it opens the front side of the hips. This will help me to get deeper into back bending poses.

Working on the splits is stretching.

Here are tips for stretching
1. Relax (into stretch). Smile even. Breathe deeply. Enjoy.
2. Exercise daily with a lot of care. Injuries are set backs. Consistency is the key.
3. Be patient and enjoy the ride.
5. I try to hold the splits i.e. longer and longer. Today I used a timer. 1 minute was my goal. Oh my, one minute can be very long. Without my timer I wouldn't have held this pose that long.
6. Repetitions are another tool to work effectively on any stretching.

To do the splits on the ground or in the air are different challenges. First step is to do the splits on the ground. Eka pada koundinyasana was just a pose that I wanted to explore. Is it possible, I wondered.

Today I practiced primary. Really I feel like a hero. My back complained first. I kept practicing. At the end my body felt relaxed. My mind was exhausted. I feel excellent now, AFTER the practice.

What a joy to write an A1 in my calender. It means I practiced first Ashtanga series. It's the 6th time that I practiced in March. Halleluja.

My plan for tomorrow:
I'll add the forward splits as a preparation for the back bending asanas.
I'll do 3 repetitions, holding the pose for 1 minute.

Ustrasana:
3 repetitions
Kapotasana:
5 repetitions
Urdhva dhanurasana 5 repetitions.

With this plan I feel as if I'm on an autobahn towards my goal to perform the back bending asanas mentioned above.