If I had a pound for every time someone told me they couldn't touch their toes, I'd be a rich yoga teacher. It seems that there's a big problem in society – bending over! The bend and snap has become the 'ooh, argh, my back'.
How many people do you know who can't do this seemingly simple move without it becoming a drama, a literal pain or a very curvy situation? Listen, it's really common, and a good yoga teacher will try to help: it is totally possible to progress this.
Why so hard?
Short or tight hamstrings: as we move to fold over, our pelvis tilts forward, and then our hamstrings kick in and, for many of us, prevent any further movement
Tension in the hips: tight external rotator muscles like the piriformis can stop other muscles from lengthening, limiting how far you can move
Moving from the 'wrong place': meaning, when you move from the upper back, rounding the spine, or from the chest, taking what is often called a 'swan dive' – see the above video for more on this – instead of from the pelvic region, where you have much more leverage
Your body, your practice: function over fantasy
Remember, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Yoga asana (the physical practice) gets caught up in our modern obsession with the way things look – the aesthetic – when really it should be all about the feeling and sensation. As you'll know from practicing with me, I am all about doing what is good for *you*.
At the same time, there are some functional ways of moving that keep our backs safe, and help us find depth and spaciousness, which are good things to want in our lives. So folding forward from the pelvis not only protects the lower back, but can help you function better in your day-to-day life.
Let's also make sure we discuss compression. Any forward fold is inherently compressive; you're pressing your belly and potentially your chest against your thighs. For fat folk this is particularly problematic, because we often have more fat on our belly or our chest, and so it can feel quite suffocating. Perhaps you aren't fat, but you just have a larger belly or chest, and you experience this too?
So, you have a few options to help yourself in a forward fold.
Let's talk touch: we are not 'other'
Take your belly in your hands and move it out of the way to avoid squishing in seated folds – we honestly need to get comfortable with touching our bodies, and understanding what they really, truly, look and feel like
Accept your body as it is now (easier said than done...). I think we forget that it's okay to have a big bum, or to have a chest where you need to get the breast tissue out of the way (we'll talk twists another time...)
Widen your legs (e.g. in a standing deep forward fold like uttanasana or prasarita padottananasa, or in a seated wide-legged forward fold like upavistha konasana or even dandasana) to allow the belly space – broader than hip distance is FINE
In a seated posture, why not grab your thigh flesh and move that out of the way to help find pelvic balance in postures where you feel like you're tipping backwards or forwards? This doesn't mean you're any particular size, by the way. We all got bodies, yo
Basically, give yourself space, give yourself breadth and give yourself a moment of kindness.
Take it chill: halfway houses
If you're standing, maybe don't go down the full way (come to a long spine/tabletop back instead)
Try bending the knees. We hyperextend (lock) so easily into our joints, and forget that bending the knees can help us find depth when the hamstrings and hips are like, no, mate. If you're a Bikram addict, this may be hard to do, as his vibe was to tell people to lock their knees (spoiler addict: this is terrible advice)
If you're seated, same. Only a few people are able to fold as if their bodies literally bend at the middle. Most of us will find a few inches, plant our palms by our thighs, on our calves etc
All you want to do is make sure you're not taking all of this effort into the upper back or chest, and instead focus on levering the body down from the pelvis to a point of safety and comfort
Props!
I looooove a prop. There are so many you can use in forward folds. How about:
Straps: use a yoga strap (or, a scarf, a resistance band etc) to help you find a safer forward fold. Basically instead of reaching wildly for your feet, use the strap as an extension of your hands
Blocks/cushions: sit on these to give your pelvis a little bit of a break. As with everything, this might not work for you if your pelvis tends to tip backwards
Bricks/hardback books: these can go under your hands in a standing posture to bring the mat to you!
Bolsters/blankets/bricks: bring a bolster or a rolled-up blanket to put under the knees. Not only will this prevent you from locking the knee, you might even find more movement forward
Foam roller: evil but great, this will help you work into the muscles in a way that your fingers simply can't
Have you thought about the back?
It's also worth remembering that forward folds can also be done in a supine posture – lying on the back and bringing the knees to the chest is a forward fold too!