What are we stretching with a pigeon leg or a figure 4 position? You may think of it as the front leg in half pigeon pose. My friend Hana calls the leg position a 7. Anatomically, it is hip flexion, abduction and external rotation. Whatever you call it, taking a look at the functional anatomy will help us determine what is happening in our pigeon-legged poses.

Yoga teacher, Melina, recently asked me, "Why can't my student straighten her knees in Paschimottasana (seated forward fold) when she can in Uttanasana (standing forward fold)? Her hamstrings seem pretty open. What are the mechanics behind this?"

Here's another yoga teacher question that I recently recieved:
"Does rocking side to side in happy baby pose massage your kidneys? Does it compress the kidneys, and when you release does it send them fresh blood? I am curious about this in regards to compression of the organs in floor bow as well! 'Fresh blood'- is that a thing?"

I received a few questions last week about twists. Do twisting postures wring the toxins out of our spines, and are there toxins in our spines? Or do twists provide just a digestive benefit? How big is this benefit? If you twist left instead of right will it constipate you? What's a yogi to do!?!?

A fellow yoga teacher, Sarah, recently asked me about helping to release upper trapezius tension with the "block dock" technique created by Lillee Chandra from Yoga Tune Up.

My fellow yoga teacher, Taylor, recently asked,

“What is your take on Legs Up the Wall Pose? Articles and teachers say that it reverses the blood flow and makes your heart have to work a bit harder because it is pushing blood up your legs instead of down. It is supposed to be the MOST restorative yoga pose. Doing it will stop you from aging, remove wrinkles from your face, make you immune to disease and you will NEVER die. Thoughts?”