Flexibility improvement pictures

[flexagon]

It's flexibility improvement picture time! As usual, heisenbug was behind the lens, and the cats sneaked their way into a lot of the pictures. :)

I never did these in 2008, so I have to compare to my benchmarks from two years ago. Sadly, not everything has improved, but it's heartening to notice that the things that have improved are the things I've worked on regularly -- maybe I have some control over this thing. In addition, those things that haven't improved have at least not been backsliding.

Butterfly stretch / baddakonasana

"Kitty, you're so doggone cute I don't even mind that this pose is always crooked."

Assisted forward fold

Reverse Namaste

Palms together, for real! ...although I still can't hold it for long before things start to hurt.

Backbend

Further over shoulders. I can straighten my legs here if I want to.

Walking it in just for fun

...turnin' my toes out and lookin' at my feet.

Left splits

NAMASTE, BITCHES!
...and some other year maybe I should square off my hips.

Right splits

This side got worse and then better again, so despite the similarity of these pictures I'm expecting touchdown for next year.

Double pigeon / full pigeon / box pose, left:

right:

Creeeeeeeak!

Straddle, still the toughest stretch of all

This picture doesn't look like it's improved, but I HAVE improved a lot this year in my standing straddles -- I can touch my head down to the floor when standing with legs apart. And in these pictures, look, my feet are wider apart this year than last time. Should've standardized my foot position. :P

Center "split"

Digitally overlaid protractor says this has improved to, uh, where it was in 2006.


Doing this always gives me motivation for things to work on in the next year. I'd love to touch down my right splits. I'd love to see measurable progress in my center splits and in the hip-turnout stretches, since my current (low) level of work isn't doing much there. But I'm excited about one or two things that I have accomplished, as well... when I get depressed all I have to do is look back to four years ago, and then I snap right out of it.

Comments

[heisenbug]

Ironically, the only shot where I did a good job of getting the same angle was the freehand overhead shot where I was sure I wasn't doing it the same. For the sake of future consistency: this time I was using the tripod basically as low as it can get (legs not extended), and I think it was around two feet behind the doorway into the next room. Except on the freehand overhead shot (the straddle), where I was holding the camera right about at my eye level, so I could barely see the screen.

[flexagon]

We were both way more precise about our repositioning than the cats were. Sheesh. It's like they don't get the whole "before and after" concept at all.

[miyyu.livejournal.com]

Yay for you! Documenting your progress in anything is always a good idea.

By the way, your couch looks SO comfy! It looks perfect for squishing against pillows with a cat and a book.

[flexagon]

Oh, it is VERY good for that. :)

[apfelsingail.livejournal.com]

*takes notes* I need to do this- my flexibility is nowhere near where it could/should/might be.

BTW- love the elegy picture of a certain plant in the last picture! :-)

[flexagon]

Yeah, I've found this exercise to be really beneficial. Every year I'm happy to note that *something* improved and I also get my ass kicked on the things that haven't improved. I'd definitely encourage you to take some "before" pictures... right around a birthday is plausibly a great time for it, too. :-)

P.S. You're so right about the plant, I hadn't even noticed that! It shows up in a couple of other shots too, but not in its full glory.