Is It Helpful To Work With Kapotasana On A Wall?

Transcript of: Is it helpful to work with kapotasana on a wall?

Let’s answer another question of the month. This one’s from Susanna, who asked a really interesting question about doing kapotasana on a wall after reading my article on dropbacks on a wall. I’ll drop the URL there in case you want to see it for reference.

The Question:

Her question asks about the technique that I talk about when doing dropbacks on the wall and whether or not it applies to kapotasana. We’re talking about the Ashtanga kapotasana. She’s been using the wall for quite some time now with no clear benefits as far as she can see.

She says: Your response to dropbacks makes me wonder if it would be more beneficial to just simply hang in the air in hopes of increasing bend and decreasing lean, until there is enough bend to go down to the floor, even when working with kapotasana.

The Answer:

The problem with leaning

So there’s something here. For you teachers out there, here’s the thing that stands out to me. Decreasing lean. L-E-A-N. Decreasing lean. What does that mean? I’m gonna drop that sucker. Lean tells me the hips are not forward. The name of the game in dropbacks and in kapotasana on a wall is to keep the hips forward. In order for those hips to go forward, it means your hip flexors, and specifically rectus femoris, need to be sufficiently open. Okay, I don’t wanna get too far into that. Suffice it to say your hips need to stay forward.

Build good habits for kapotasana on a wall

So if you’re leaning back onto the wall in dropbacks, you’re probably teaching yourself bad habits. And by teaching yourself bad habits, what I mean is you’re learning how to lean towards the wall. That’s the pattern that you’re creating as opposed to hips going forward, fingertips reaching back towards the wall. The same thing is true in kapotasana on a wall. When you go to the wall, the hips are forward. Feet are pressing, hips forward is the way I say it. Fingertips lightly touch, and then they add to pushing the hips forward. That’s what’s required.

Okay, just hanging. Just hanging is also okay. The problem with that is you end up just—most people, I should say—end up just hanging into their lumbar spine. But by pressing the hips forward and lifting your chest and reaching for the wall, hopefully you’re also lengthening through the rest of your spine. So you’re trying to distribute the backbend through as much of the spine as possible while also having sufficiently open hip flexors. This is so that the pelvis can not only move forward, but can tilt backwards to accommodate the depth of a backbend. That’s why your hip flexors need to be open.

Yes, you can practice kapotasana on a wall

So the quick answer to your question is yes. The same thing applies to kapotasana on a wall. Without seeing what you’re doing, it’s hard for me to make corrections. Most people just lean onto the wall. That’s kind of how you described it. You shouldn’t be leaning onto the wall. You probably need to move closer to the wall, force the hips forward, and reach for the wall. Then, when your fingertips touch the wall, they should push away from the wall and send that energy and force into moving the hips forward as best you can.

Alright, I hope that helped. If you’ve got a question you want me to answer, you know what to do: yoganatomy.com/myquestion