कन्दासन

Deep Hip Rotators (External)(lengthening)

These deep muscles, nestled around the hip socket, are put into their maximum possible stretch as the thighs rotate outwards and the knees drop. This action provides a profound release of tightness that often contributes to sciatic nerve irritation and lower back stiffness. Energetically, releasing these deep rotators can free up stagnant energy in the hips, promoting a sense of emotional openness and ease. Regular practice encourages these muscles to yield, enhancing comfort in daily movements and seated meditation.

Inner Thigh Muscles (Adductors)(lengthening)

These powerful muscles running along the inside of your thighs are experiencing an extreme lengthening as the knees splay wide and the feet come together towards the midline. This sustained stretch helps to decompress the inner groin, creating space in an area often constricted from prolonged sitting or athletic activity. From a yogic perspective, this opening in the inner thighs is crucial for allowing the upward flow of prana from the pelvic floor, fostering a feeling of lightness and unburdening, and improving circulation in the lower limbs.

Deep Hip Flexors(activating)

While the hips are in deep flexion, the action of drawing the feet towards the navel also creates a unique engagement in the hip flexors, especially when working to lift the knees and deepen the pelvic tilt for spinal length. This conscious engagement helps to stabilize the lumbar spine and pelvis, preventing unwanted compression in the lower back. This intelligent activation and release of the psoas can help release deeply ingrained patterns of fear and tension, connecting to our core sense of stability and courage.

Hip Injury

Deep hip flexion, external rotation, or weight-bearing can aggravate labral tears, impingement, or bursitis.

Sit on a folded blanket or bolster to reduce the depth of hip flexion and external rotation.

Knee Injury

Deep flexion or rotation at the knee can strain ligaments, meniscus, or cartilage, especially in a compromised joint.

Sit on a folded blanket to reduce the angle of knee flexion; never force the knee into Lotus without full range of motion.

Groin / Hip Flexor Strain

Excessive hip abduction or deep hip flexor lengthening can tear already-strained muscle fibres in the groin.

Support the outer knees with blocks; do not allow the thighs to splay to the point of stretching the groin aggressively.