Hanumanasana

When I was in school we did this thing in gym class each year called the “Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge”. It was a mix of activities that included push-ups, sit-ups, and some kind of race with chalkboard erasers.

I didn’t mind most of it, but the bane of my existence was the “sit and reach” activity where we’d sit without feet against this ruler thing and have to reach our arms forward into a forward fold shape and see how far past our feet we could go.

I always got -2 or worse… meaning 2 inches behind my feet. I was the leader of the Tight Hamstring Club growing up. Touching my toes felt like something that would never happen for me.

Yoga changed all of that. Within a few months of committed practice, I was able to touch my toes – it literally blew my mind.

And once I realized that this practice had the ability to increase my flexibility like that.. I started to wonder… “what else could be possible? A split maybe? One day?”

Spoiler alert: Hanumanasana, or a full split, did become possible for me one day.

But, it’s one of those poses that sometimes I feel great in and sometimes reminds me of that sit-and-reach challenge from my childhood days.

It’s a pose that truly is an example of the yoga practice meeting you where your body is at on a specific day and a reminder that it may look very different than it did the day before or what it will look like in days to come.

The nice thing is, props can make all the difference with this pose. The use of blocks makes it possible to work on it no matter how close or far away from the floor your hips are.

The sequence below, of course, opens the hamstrings, but actually brings a lot of focus to the back hip flexor and psoas. So often the hamstrings get all of the focus in Hanumanasana classes, but I like to change it up sometimes and build a sequence that targets the opening of the hips as that’s an often overlooked element that needs to happen in order for the hips to release towards the floor.

Puttering/Warm-Up

• Supta Padaghustasana A
• Anjenayasana
• ½ Split (Runners Lunge Stretch)
• Pyramid Pose with blocks
• Uttanasana with clasped hands

Sun Salutations

• 3-4 Rounds of Surya Namaskar A

Standing Poses

• Warrior 2
• Extended Side Angle (with hand outside of the ankle)
• Triangle Pose
• Ardha Chandrasana
• Ardha Chapasana
• Warrior 1
• Parsvottanasana

Balance Pose

• Padangusthasana A
• Standing Split

Twist Pose

• Revolved Triangle
• Anjenayasana Twist

Peak Pose

Hanumanasana

Wind Down Poses

• Reclinded Figure 4
• Happy Baby
• Supine Twist

Savasana

Have fun and let me know how it goes!

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