Splits, splits, splits

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Practicing means an opportunity to improve the skills. You don't automatically get better by practicing. Doing the right thing is at least as important. Too much practice can lead to injury. Practicing intelligently is important.

Without practicing, the status quo will not be maintained. I'm not thinking of breaks that the body needs, but longer stops. The older you get, the more this applies. One week without strength training and I already notice that I have become weaker. One week without stretching and the body has quickly adapted to the 'new' lifestyle.

If you realize that interruptions mean a step backwards, it can motivate you to do something in any case. Little exercise is ten times better than zero days.

Until the end of May my focus is the splits (forward and sideways): hanumanasana and sanakonasana.

The exercises are already easier now. You don't always notice progress. All goals are intermediate. Once a goal is achieved, the next vision appears on the horizon.

At the end of May I will see how far I have come. If there is no progress at all, you are doing something wrong.

The splits are a basic position that can be practiced in combination with many positions. Above I am practicing the splits in the headstand. In the third picture I am stretching the hamstrings. It is a preliminary exercise of hanumanasana.

Continuing is the credo.

You never know everything.

Side splits - the wall gives resistance

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Side split, sanakonasana, April 2023

Splits are part of my daily exercise and slowly I notice progress. The most important thing: the body no longer resists the stretch. It has become more comfortable to stretch. You always have to feel the stretch, otherwise nothing happens. You have to learn to decipher the language of the body. You have to distinguish between a welcome pain of stretching and a pain that leads to injury.

The most difficult moment is starting the exercise. Once I start practicing, everything is good and the 90 minutes fly by. Just roll out the mat and do the easiest forward bend you know, I tell myself. That helps to get started in the first place. The resistance to practice goes down. No sooner is the sun salutation practiced than the whim to test and push the limits kicks in. What is possible today, is then the question.

That I will practice 90 minutes today, I would not have thought. But just the same it came again.

Tomorrow is a day of rest.

Nobody exercises as much as amateur athletes, my physiotherapist once told me. But the breaks are part of learning. The body needs relaxation. The break gives rhythm to the practice. You practice six days a week, and on the seventh day you rest. You repeat this rhythm. Six days of practice in a row is doable, but to practice from now on forever without interruption until the end of your life is more than climbing the Himalayas.

In the picture I am practicing sanakonasana against the wall. The wall gives resistance and thus allows the legs to spread further. Also in this exercise I note that the hips are tilted forward and the back emphasizes the S-curve. The blogs help me with this. The muscles are 70% tense. The face is also relaxed, the breath is calm and regular.

Benefits of the splits

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Dynamic and static side split, April 2023

A few years ago, I had several appointments with a physical therapist. In the waiting room, I met a middle-aged woman who looked pretty beat up. I asked her if I could ask her what was wrong. Most of the time we like to talk about what's on our minds. According to her, the woman was relatively athletic. She jogged a lot. At Christmas, she went grocery shopping. In the vegetable department there was a spring onion on the floor on which she slipped. Involuntarily, she went into a straddle. Her hip broke so badly that she was asked if she could be operated on in the university hospital in front of students. She agreed to it. But even after the operation she could walk only with pain. Now physiotherapy should help.

I thought to myself that this would not have happened to me.

Many runners (track and field athletes) or people who focus on strength training don't stretch enough.

Especially in accidents, a stretched body can prevent broken bones.

And what does B.K.S. Iyengar say? His book is still on my desk.

I quote from B.K.S. Iyengar's book 'Light on Yoga', page 218:

Effects (of sanakonasana, note from me):

In this pose the hip joints are worked and the legs learn to move freely in all directions. The spine is stretched. Any defect in the lower part of the spine is cured by this. Like hanumanasana, the pose invigorates the leg muscles and gives good form to the legs. It prevents hernias and takes away sciatic pain. It makes the blood pulsate in the pelvic area and in the sexual organs and keeps them healthy.

To the picture:

You can swing the leg up dynamically and then hold it. The dynamic part warms up the leg and the pelvic area. All dynamic exercises also give mental momentum and motivation.

How to get into samakonasana?

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Samakonasana, April 2023

I consulted the master B.K.S. Iyengar. The bible 'Light on Yoga' is at hand. B.K.S. Iyengar writes on Sanakonasana:

Technique:

1. Stand in tadasana. Place the hands on the hips and extend the legs sideways as far as possible.

2. Place the palms on the floor and, with an exhalation, extend the legs further and further until you are sitting with both legs on the ground so that they form a straight line. The whole back of the legs, especially the knees, should be on the floor.

3. Place the palms of your hands in front of your chest and remain in this position for a few seconds.

4. Place the palms on the floor, raise the hips and bring the legs closer together until you are standing in Uttanasana again. Then stand in Tadasana and relax.

Source: Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar, page 218, translated by DeepL.

There are pictures for each posture. It is clear to see that B.K.S. Iyengar makes a hollow back before going deep into the posture.

With the hands on the floor, it is much easier to stretch the legs out to the side.

I usually use two towels under my feet to slide to the side more easily. The leg muscles are tense.

How you get into a position often makes all the difference.

With hands on the floor for support, it seems to me that there is much less chance of injury.

Still, there is work to be done. The floor still seems a long way off.

Side splits and hollow back

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In the three pictures the hip is always in a different position. In picture one, the hip is tilted forward. This creates a hollow back. You can reinforce this by also pressing through the upper back and moving the head backwards.

The second picture shows a neutral hip position.

In the third picture, the back becomes a hump. The abdominal muscles pull inward.

Alternating the positions is like a warm-up. You develop body awareness. When you are on all fours, it is easy to move the hips. It becomes more difficult when sitting or when you want to move into the splits from a standing position.

The fact that you have to go into a hollow back to do the side split is an important insight. Without this hip movement, the legs cannot be stretched straight to the side.

As is often the case, it feels like the body is deep in the position. But when you look at picture one, reality quickly catches up with you. There's still something there.

Baddha padmasana, April 2023

Baddha padmasana is a pose of the final sequence in Ashtanga Yoga. Here is practiced in a sitting position to make a hollow back. In addition, the shoulder blades are pulled together, the chest opens.

This week I will focus more on the side split. It is much more difficult than the forward split.

The splits - consistency

Forward split against the wall, March 2023

In mid-March, I came up with the idea to focus on splits. I incorporate my splits exercises into my daily morning yoga practice. I usually linger so long on the exercises that I don't get to finish the Ashtanga yoga series. After 90 minutes, at the latest after 120 minutes, my concentration is at an end and also my physical possibilities. Since the exercises for the splits stretch both the hamstrings and the hip flexor, the exercises can also be understood as exercises for the forward bends and backbends.

Nothing comes from nothing. In any case, you have to practice. Of course, you can do it without an app. But I use a habit tracker. It also shows me how long I practice. The timer is set to 90 minutes.

With the habit tracker, I only record my yoga sessions. Everything else has been deleted. Practicing yoga daily is my most important habit. Everything else comes second. This focus also helps to practice. I am not distracted by other essential habits.

Equally important is the quality of the practice. It is more difficult to measure. Today, however, I took a look at quantity.

Sometimes I practice for half an hour in the evening. I don't record that. I only document what I want to do at least. That is already enough.

March was good.

One day I just couldn't. You also have to learn to distinguish if you're just not in the mood, or if some days you really can't do anything.

One weekend I was at a contortion workshop. Workshops are always very motivating. You also learn a lot of things that you want to put into practice.

Also in April the quantitative goal will be to practice 6 days a week in the morning.

I am curious if I could improve the splits until the end of May.

I am curious: Are there yogis who read my blog and also record how often they practice. I look forward to your comments.

Day 5 - splits

This post is also inspired by Yograja.

It shows many variations. Ultimately, it stretches the hamstrings and hip flexor. The important thing is to hold the position, tense the muscles and then step by step go a little further into the position. It takes time.

In the first two positions the muscles and joints are loosened. The second positions show stretches to warm up the body.

There is no way around the lunge. The position in pictures three and four can be practiced both dynamically and statically. In picture three, the leg outside the hands is pushed forward at an angle. If the verse is on a towel, the foot slides forward more easily.

In picture three, you can bend and stretch the leg extended backwards. When the leg is stretched, the stretch is more intense.

In the first image, the foot presses against the wall. The position is more intense when the leg is bent.

In the middle pictures, one leg is stretched to the side. This position can also be practiced dynamically and statically. It is important to go into the hollow back. The energy of the stretched leg goes to the body. The center of the body pushes down.

The rightmost position must be held for a long time to feel the effect. It can be very relaxing.

In the end, he body is loosened again. The twists balance the body.

Four to five positions are sufficient. If you practice these consistently and correctly, you will certainly get further. I will see if that is true.

For one month I have already concentrated on the splits. At the end of May I will see how far I have come. Until then: keep practicing.

Day 4 - splits

This post is inspired by one of the split series by Yograja. This link leads to all the 10 videos

In the beginning, arms, legs and hips are loosened.

Here is a selection of the exercises. For me, the first and last exercises are especially important. Any exercise that stretches the back leg muscles and the hip flexor are good for learning the splits. But you don't need 30 exercises. More important than the quantity of exercises is how you perform each exercise. It is important to tense the muscles. Practicing regularly is as important as holding the positions.

There is no single training solution for everyone. Everyone has different conditions and abilities. Therefore, the training must be adapted. For me it was interesting to try out the exercises.

These two positions are actually meant to be practiced against the wall. In the first position, this is still possible. With the sideways split against the wall, you would have to be able to place the leg much higher up on the wall in order to press against it with your body weight. If this is not possible, there is no stability. Tying the hands behind the back requires the ability to hold the body upright and stretch to the side. All together this is very advanced. It won't be my exercise for now. The possibilities for practicing new positions are endless.

Muscles and joints loosen up and twists end the series.

It is important to know some positions that are challenging and that you practice every day. When you start to get bored you can look for new positions and sequences.

Have fun practicing.

Contortion workshop

Saturday and Sunday I participated in a contortion workshop. Quite brave, I think. On Saturday and Sunday we practiced for four hours each with a half-hour break in between. The first two hours were dedicated to the leg work. Legwork means splits (forward and sideways). The next hours were dedicated to the back. This means backbends.

There were 25 of us. One man was there. Some of the participants did pole dance, as I learned in conversations. One woman also practiced Ashtanga.

My most important goal was not to hurt myself. I succeeded in this. I am slightly overstretched. It is not worth mentioning.

I learned many new positions. How to practice splits, how to practice bending backwards was the important topic, which is why I went to the course.

The following methods were used:

- There was dynamic and static stretching.

- In some positions a timer was set. We then stayed in one position for at least one minute (maybe it was longer).

- Bands, blocks, mats and also the wall were used as aids.

- The positions were explained to us and also which muscles to tense.

- There were also hands-on-adjustments, but they were more like hints.

Through the explanations I got deeper into the positions than I thought.

I overcame a threshold in the lunges.

Splits and backbends complement each other. Both require the hip flexor to be stretched.

I will write in more detail about the postures we practiced.

In the pictures you can see a forward bend that we practiced. It stretches the back leg muscles. In the second picture, we are stretching the shoulders. The back is pushing down. You need this position for most backbends.

First, however, I will continue to write about the sequences of Yograja. I have reached day four of 10 days.

Consistent training is the prerequisite for success. Keep practicing.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Day 3 - splits

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Today I document in pictures the 3rd day of the split series with Yograja. Positions repeat themselves. New variations are introduced, but also new positions. The individual positions are repeated. There is a dynamic phase and a static phase.

To engage in the series is also to learn.

I like the relatively short warm-up phase. This makes it easy to squeeze in a second yoga session in the evening.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

During this warm-up you stretch your upper body upwards. Then you bend forward. The positions are designed to stretch the back leg muscles. If the toes are stretched upwards, this intensifies the position. When you look up or forward, your back remains straight.

The first two positions prepare for the sideways split. It is important to position the feet relatively far apart. The knees should not move inward, but point toward the foot. When the elbows are placed on the floor, the position is intensified.

The next position stretches the hip of the leg extended backwards.

The next positions are lunges. If the elbows can reach the floor, it intensifies the position. First, the foot is firmly on the floor. In the variation, the knee moves to the side. Each variation stretches the body differently. It is a journey of discovery.

The positions speak for themselves and are also already known. Ultimately, you also have to practice the splits and not just do exercises for it.

The next position can be practiced dynamically and statically. Twelve times move the outstretched leg to the side and back. This warms and stretches the hips. First always comes the dynamic part, and then the static. I always put towels under my bent knee. I also put a towel under the foot of the extended knee as well to slide to the side more easily. When you get to the static part, the body pushes down. The foot is not pointed so as not to facilitate the stretch. Muscles are tensed, both the leg muscles and the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles.

And already the end is reached. The legs are shaken out again. In the second position, the knees move up and down to loosen the hips. The twists neutralize the exercises.

You can also get inspiration from this series. You can try to integrate positions into your daily exercise.

Day 2 - splits

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This is day 2 of a split sequence created by Yograja.

The beginning.

In this sequence, the foot is first guided to the lower abdomen, then to the chest and finally to the head. The exercise aims to open the hips. The right side is stretched first and then the left. In the picture you can see only the right side. The back remains straight.

I love this position. It is important to tense the leg muscles. The body then quickly adapts to the stretch and you can go deeper into the position. The legs can eventually be moved further apart. The upper body may come closer to the floor. You have to take your time for these types of positions. The hips tilt forward, creating a hollow back as you move forward.

There are so many variations of the lunge. All of them are good. You have to find the right ones for you. A position should be challenging, but not frustrating. Staying in the position longer is a method that stimulates the stretching process. Only when the body is relaxed does it stretch.

For the position in picture two, it would be good for me to rest the hands on two blocks to keep the body upright. That way I fall forward more or less. That takes the stretch out of the right hip.

The end: the muscles are shaken out again. Twists relax the back and hips and neutralize the intense stretches.

You don't always have to do all the exercises, although I really like the sequence. The duration of this sequence is 20 minutes. It's worth watching it on YouTube.

My exercise sessions are more focused when I have a sequence in my head and don't have to keep looking at the screen. However, sometimes it is easier to be guided through an exercise. So many options, so little time.

Day 1 - splits

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From time to time I watch yoga videos on YouTube. There are always inspiring yogis. One yogi I really appreciate is called Yograja. He has recorded ten videos with which you can learn the splits. You can practice with the videos. I often prefer to write down the exercises and then practice the sequence from my head. In the following blog post I have photographed the exercises of the 1st day. The exercises start easy and get more advanced every day. Yograja recommends practicing 3 videos in a row.

Here is the link to Day 1 Splits with Yograja.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Warm up: The first positions loosen up the muscles, as well as the last exercises of the sequence.

The first four exercises are also still light warm-ups. Forward bends alternate with backbends.

Buddha konasana is a challenging pose for many. The position opens the hips. This is followed by a backbend. The sequence is very nicely balanced.

Almost at the end comes the main part. The positions stretch the hip flexor and the back muscles of the legs. These are exactly the muscles that need to be stretched when learning the splits. It is important to note the position of the feet. The foot of the extended leg is at 90 degrees to the body. The toes move towards the body, the verse is stretched. In this way, the stretch is intensified.

I put a towel under the knee which rests on the floor.

At the end, the legs and arms are shaken out again. The leg muscles get a massage. The hips are also loosened again by sitting in Buddha konasana and swinging the knees down and up.

The next 9 days I will photograph the other sequences. The more sequences you have practiced, the easier it is to create your own series of exercises that are tailored exactly to your needs.

Enjoy the YouTube channel of Yograja.

The best protection against injuries

Backbending, March 2023

The best protection against injury is to practice every day. You know your limits and can go beyond them. But because you know your limit, you also feel when you are going too far. When you practice daily, you know that the process is just as important as the goal. Phrases like 'splits in 30 days' are great promises. Some may succeed. But if you force your body into asanas too quickly, you risk injury. And then what happens when the 30 days are up and you have learned the splits? Then comes the next goal. Goals are always just intermediate goals. Learning happens between two goals.

Situations that make injuries more likely:

1. breaks that are too long. The mind still has stored what was possible. But the body has already adapted to another way of life, has become more inflexible and weaker.

2. practicing in groups also carries a greater risk of getting injured. Whether you like it or not the group dynamic has an influence on practicing. There is a different energy in groups. Positive competition often makes you rise above yourself. But sometimes that is too much.

3. being too ambitious can also be counterproductive. One must always be attentive. Being patient is a skill that can be learned.

Next weekend I will attend a workshop. The teacher is a contortionist. The course lasts four hours. Two hours are devoted to leg work, two hours to the back. That's a lot. The best preparation is to practice every day until the course (and after, of course). This insight also made it easy for me to start my yoga week today. Injuries always mean frustration and regression.

To the picture:

It shows a backbend. The hip flexors are stretched and also the upper body. Exercises to learn the splits overlap with the exercises for the backbends.

The other day I had the idea to use a box of water as an aid. With the pillow I used as a base, it worked well.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Ashtanga and the splits

The splits are introduced very early in the Ashtanga yoga series. Utthita hasta padangusthasana and Utthita parsvasahita are splits. There is one more difficulty added to this stretch, that is the balance that must be maintained in all standing postures. First and foremost, the postures shown above are balance exercises. Then comes the stretching exercise of the legs.

To improve the stretch, I practice the splits (hanumanasana and samakonasana) before these standing postures.

How to keep the balance?

1. only one foot is on the floor. The toes must hold on to the floor. The toes can become like claws.

2. the knee is pushed through. I learned that very late. I always thought it was better to keep the leg slightly bent to balance if you were in danger of falling over. But my experience is that you stand more stable when the knee is bent,

3. the abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor are tense.

4. the breathing is even.

5. the eyes are fixed on one point. It is better to look straight ahead than at the floor.

6) The elbows help with balancing. If the leg is extended forward, the elbow is pulled back. If the leg is extended to the right or left side, the elbow points to the other side. This seems to be only a small thing, but in total these small things decide whether you fall out of the asana or are well balanced.

7. the last point I would call 'balance of forces'. In utthita hasta padangusthasana, the hip pulls down, the foot is pulled up with the help of the arm. When both forces are equal, this brings balance. It is similar with utthita parsvasahita. The hip moves forward with the same force as the foot moves backward with the help of the arm. This also prevents the hip from moving backward.

In utthita hasta padangusthasana, my upper body remains upright. I try to move the leg to the upper body and not the other way around. My sacroiliac joint injury did not allow me to bend forward in this way for a long time. I then stayed with my variation, as a precaution.

Some postures prepare the body for what will be practiced years later. The splits are part of the 3rd and 4th or Advanced A and B series.

Breaks are part of it. They support the exercises. Tomorrow is my day off.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Active versus passive stretching

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Passive stretching is done with the help of external forces. In the picture on the left, it is the wall. The resistance allows me to go much deeper into the position. In the picture on the right (active stretching) you can see the difference.

Active stretching can also be done dynamically by swinging the leg upwards. Active stretching can also be practiced statically. For many positions it is a good idea to start with dynamic stretching. Afterwards you can hold the position (static stretching).

The pose on the right is often called needle pose. I have photographed it here only to show the difference. The pose is not part of my daily program.

I really like practicing the splits against the wall. You literally fly because your foot often lifts off the floor when you press your body against the wall. The position also strengthens the arms.

You pick a position you want to learn and along the way you get to know the position better and better. You learn how the joints work. You learn different stretching techniques (dynamic, static, active, passive). And you learn patience. Overeagerness often leads to injury and that always means a setback.

I think it's a good idea to hold the splits not just for one minute, but two minutes, three minutes to eventually 5 minutes.

Even today the beginning was hard. Once the first sun salutations were practiced, everything went great. Now I am looking forward to my exercise tomorrow morning.

Experiment.

Go on a journey of discovery.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Hanumanasana

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In the first picture I am practicing hanumanasana without blocks. The upper body is tilted forward. So the stretch of the hip flexor decreases. Instead, the hamstrings are stretched. The more upright the upper body is, the more the hip flexor is stretched.

The classic form of hanumansana has the upper body resting on the front leg.

There are many variations of hanumansana. You will certainly not get bored.

My first intermediate goal is to bring the front extended leg to the floor.

The leg muscles are tense during the exercise. The energy moves to the center of the body. The legs are not moving away from the body, but toward the center of the body.

I hold the position for one minute, then switch sides. It is definitely helpful to hold the position for two, three and maybe even up to 5 minutes. Yesterday I learned from a man who wanted to learn the splits within 30 days, that he held the stretch 10 minutes.

I prefer repetitions to very long holds.

Holding a position and repetitions are effective methods, which already have general validity.

I just looked up the word 'hamstrings'. I only knew the English word. Hamstrings means back thigh muscles ( rückseitige Oberschenkelmuskulatur) in German. I prefer the word 'hamstrings' in German as well. It’s so much shorter.

Keep practicing, keep learning.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Split stretches

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The pictures are taken in March 2023

Any position that stretches the thigh, hip flexor or hamstrings is a forward splits exercise.

There are many positions that target individual body parts. Picture one shows how I stretch the thigh. The knee is almost against the wall, the leg is bent. The foot and the upper body press against the wall. You can clearly feel the stretch in the thigh.

In the second exercise, both thighs are stretched at the same time.

In picture three you can see an exercise that actively stretches the hip flexor.

Picture four shows the splits while lying down. Since gravity does not push the body against the floor, if you are lying on your back, you can only support the position with the strength of your arm.

Some days it is sufficient to perform exercises more simply. Not always you have enough energy to face the demanding positions. The most important thing is to keep at it.

Not every day shows progress. It will bring something, I think to myself sometimes. In a few weeks you will see, if this is true. If it doesn't work, you can plan other exercises. Nothing has to be fixed forever. In this respect, I'm moving away from the default in the Ashtanga yoga community, which is to practice the prescribed asanas, come what may. I had to become more flexible. The reason was my sacroiliac injury almost 7 years ago. I had to become much more attentive to my body. I had to find solutions on how to keep practicing. This included being more flexible with yoga sequences.

What is possible today, I ask myself.

You have to feel when you stretch or when your muscles tighten. You don't have to suffer pain. One should avoid sudden pain, pain at the joints (knees). With time you learn to interpret the messages of the body. The pain threshold when stretching shifts over the years. One learns how to deal with the feeling. On the one hand, one remains calm. Breathing helps to relax. The pain disappears.

Quite a few exercises prepare the splits. But in the end you have to practice it. Just doing preliminary exercises is not the solution.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Dynamic and static stretching

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I practice the following exercise after sun salutations a or b. The goal is to stretch the hip flexor.

The exercise has a dynamic part and a static part. It starts after adho mukha svanasana. First I place the feet side by side without spacing. Then I raise the verses so that the weight of the body is on the hands and balls of the feet. Now comes the actual exercise. I swing the right leg stretched upwards. The feet are also stretched. The hips remain parallel if possible. I repeat this dynamic movement up to twelve times. I very often read that you should repeat dynamic exercise eight to 15 times. If you do even more repetitions, the exercise becomes an endurance exercise. Then change sides. More than three rounds are not necessary. At the end of the exercise you can hold the stretched leg. This completes the exercise.

The exercise warms up the body.

I don't necessarily feel this exercise is very intense. But it is a good introduction for what is to come.

Note on the side:

Hanumanasana (forward split) is an asana from the 3rd Ashtanga yoga series (Advanced A).

Samakonasana (side split) is an asana from the 4th Ashtanga yoga series (Advanced B).

Already the standing postures contain postures that prepare the splits. I am thinking of utthita hasta padangusthasana and utthita parsvasahita.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

The splits - where the journey begins

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The journey can begin. The focus for the next few weeks will be the splits. At the end of May I will photograph hanumanasana and samakonasana again and compare them with today's pictures. I'm already curious to see if anything has changed.

Hanumanasana stretches the hip flexor and is a good preparation for backbends.

Samakonasana stands on its own. The important thing when doing this asana is to get into the hollow back. The legs are tense and move towards each other.

Tomorrow, the timer comes into play. I want to hold the splits for at least a minute.

What doesn't work:

Today I interrupted my exercise to take pictures. I screwed the camera on the tripod before starting my practice. So I was able to go right ahead and take pictures. Still, my practice was disruptively interrupted. I had to check if I was in the picture and if the pictures were also sharp.

If I want to continue my blog with pictures, I have to include a session where I create the pictures for the week.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Consistency allows breaks

Integrating back bending, March 2023

Saturday is my day off.

I practice six days a week. One day a week is for recreation and all the other activities I want to do as well.

The next week I also focus on the splits again.

Asanas that you want to improve, you absolutely have to hold for longer than five breaths. Using a timer makes sense.

If you repeat challenging asanas up to three times, you usually notice progress. The pose becomes easier and often you are more flexible with each repetition. How to learn anything interests me. What do I want to learn and how do I want to learn it are important questions. I lost much time applying ineffective methods to learn things. With the internet learning anything can accelerate because so much useful information is available.

I will continue to use the following methods next week:

1. I’ll hold asanas for up to one minute or longer. This gives the opportunity to relax despite the pain of stretching. Deep regular breathing helps to relax. The pain subsides. One can then continue to stretch the body. It is important to tense the muscles during the stretch.

2. Repetitions are also very helpful. With each repetition, the position becomes easier. This is almost without exception.

First you have to think about what you want to focus on. Is it the backbends, twists, balancing poses?

Do you want to improve stretching, strength or technique?

What is the best way to practice? Which exercises are the most effective?

I will continue to document my journey. The practice yoga, yet the approach has changed over the last decade. Documenting the development is another tool to stay motivated and to improve. Pictures and movies show the truth. They help to reflect.

Tomorrow I will practice the 2nd Ashtanga series. I am integrating the splits exercises.