Yin twists and side bends,flat feet and imbalance correction

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YogiBalance
Posts: 25
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 5:33 am

Yin twists and side bends,flat feet and imbalance correction

Post by YogiBalance »

1. Which yin poses can be done with twists and side bends aside of reclining pose, cal pulling its tail and bananasana? I would like to add more twists and side bends to my yin practice.
2. I have flat feet and my feet and knees tend to collapse inward and i want to strengthen and correct my posture as much as possible. I find standing comfortably, especially for extended time, a bit challenging since my feet always want to collapse inward and i tend to lean on my left leg as if my right leg is a little bit shorter. Outside yin which has only one standing posture, i do resistance band exercises in standing positions but my feet still tend to collapse inward and the right leg feels more limited and less flexible. How do you recommend to correct flat feet and imbalance? How should i position my feet in standing positions when doing exercises and outside exercises? By the way, i wear 0 drop minimalist running shoes as day to day shoes (i don't run) which are also lightweight in order to make my muscles work and reduce stress and i exercise without shoes.
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Post by Bernie »

First, the easy question: there are lots of postures in Yin Yoga to which you can add twists and sidebends. Consider Shoelace: while sitting in this pose, you can add twists and sidebends as shown here. You can also add twist in other reclining poses and even add a sidebend while in Saddle! You are only limited by your creativity.

Now, the harder question: flat feet and what to do about them. I can't see you nor am I a therapist. You would do much better to see a therapist who can work directly with you. Have you done so already? One suggestion raised in the Iyengar community to help with flat feet is sitting on the heels (Vajrasana or Virasana): this is claimed to help rebuild the arch of the foot. (See this article, for one example.) In Yin Yoga, the same effect might be achieved in Saddle pose, which of course you can hold for a few minutes every day.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.
Cheers
Bernie
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