When you can't do surya namaskar...

04-22-2000, 03:49 PM

Hi all,
I've just injured the top of my foot,
nothing serious, but it needs rest. Right now any
attempts to flex it are accompanied by enough pain to
suggest I shouldn't do it.
This seems to me to
effectively rule out sun salutations, with the work the feet
do flexing and bearing weight.
So what do I do
for practice- just go straight into the standing
postures, which I should be able to do ok (except maybe for
ardha baddha padmasana) and the number of seated
postures I can usually do (leaving out virasana, which I'm
still working on as a preparatory pose)?
Or should I
try to adapt the sun salutation to accommodate the
fact that my foot can't flex or bear weight while in
down dog? Do you have any suggestions on how to do
this?
Right now, part of me (probably the lazy part) wants to
think that if I can't do a sun salutation, there's no
point in trying to do an ashtanga practice.
Thanks
for any ideas you can give me!
slainte, lm

04-22-2000, 05:08 PM

Try just dropping your knees to the floor for the postures that hurt your foot.
That has often worked for me when some part of me isn't up to bearing my full
weight.

Vita

04-22-2000, 07:37 PM

Dear Bodysings,
Sit in one position, close
your eyes, salute the Lord Sun in Namaskar posture
(folded hands) and tell your mind that your foot is now
feeling better and it is coming to normal. The pain is
now vanished and you are walking normally. Keep
telling your mind at fixed time twice in a day , and
experience the wonder. I think you will be able to get out
of pain in about three days.
Tell me your
experience.
SHASHIKIRAN VAZE - Vastu Consultant

04-23-2000, 12:36 PM

Hey there,

I stubbed my toe trying to do a
vinyasa on like, the 2nd week of Ashtanga, so I couldn't
do the toe roll from upward to downward. I just
stepped into it and favored the other foot. at a certain
point into the practice I just didn't do the vinyasa
for a few times, just to give the foot a break, and
then went back to them for the later poses.

I
do know that a really good callisthenics-type
stretch for the calves is essentially a downward dog, but
with one foot off the ground and kinda pushing into
the calf/foot on the ground. Some people rest the up
foot on the floor foot too. You could do something
like that, maybe, and then not hold DD for any counts,
just pass through it.

Christina