Jason

@Kit_L, thank you. Let’s see how strong Sarah’s grip really is! I’ll work on a set up where she can brace against something as well. Thank you both, @Jim Pickles and Kit, for the feedback.

@Jim Pickles the wall idea makes me wonder if I can just put some heavy dumbbells on either side of my back leg for her to brace against. It looks so easy in the video with @Kit_L and @Craig! We'll keep trying.

@Kit_L, I tried the hip flexor partner stretch last night with my wife. 2nd time we’ve tried and failed. She keeps sliding down the back of my leg, instead of being able to anchor her butt up against mine. For sure my pants are too slippery so I’ll try a different pair. But I’m wondering if you’ve seen this and have any suggestions? Thanks! Really looking forward to seeing some serious change from this stretch.

@Kit_L, I’m glad you asked because now that I’ve rewatched boxing the compass I can see that what I’m doing is something else. I will try out the bridge with a partner for sure. Thank you for the suggestion.

@Jim Pickles and @Kit_L, thank you both for your feedback. I’m going to try pressing my chest up against a wall to see how straight I can get my arms. Lats are for sure a limiting factor. Last night I rediscovered the last position in boxing-the-compass and it was incredible how much it loosened up my left side lat. Took some playing around to get the tightest line but I got it. Really was amazing how intense I could make that stretch that in that position by pushing hard against the ground (pushing shoulder away from my ear) and rotating my torso towards the ground. Can’t express enough how happy it makes me to be able to loosen up my lats this way. Nothing else I’ve tried (foam rolling, ladder bar stretches, laying over a roller with hands anchored overhead) has made this much of a change for so little effort and time. So thank you for that!

@Jim Pickles Thanks for the feedback. I’ll work on the breathing and back off the intensity. I’m curious, what do you see that shows good thoracic flexibility? I look but all I see is that wicked hinge in the lumbar spine.

Just rewatched this video I shot last night and I can see that I'm really huffing and puffing, then holding my breath. This was the last bridge of a 45 minute session that starts at about 40cm and goes down by 10cm each time until I hit the floor. Seems like I'm making progress from my October 9, 2023 post above. Could have sworn my legs were straight at the end, so interesting how deceptive that sensation is. I can feel this in my thoracic spine today. Not the muscles, actually feels sore on the verterbrae. Does anyone else experience that?

@Jim Pickles, thank you for the feedback. Good to know I’m not the only one! I will try out the visualizations you mentioned. It really is incredible how much I can relax while holding an exhale, compared to any other phase of breathing. True for underwater too.

Something I've noticed is that I'm able to relax much more easily while holding an exhalation. It's true for lying relaxation as well as stretching exercises. I can feel my body sink into the ground, or sink into a stretch, after exhaling and holding it. Inhalation, on the other hand, tends to create tension in my body. Normally I like to just let the breath do its thing but it's really quite noticeable how much more easily I'm able to relax. Is this just one of those things that we find out works for us as individuals? It also occurred to me today that the sigh at the beginning of each lying relaxation is reminiscent of the feeling of playing a didgeridoo. The vibration in your esophagus and throat while lying down feel very similar to playing that instrument. Thought you Australians would appreciate the insight 🙂

@Kit_L Thank you for the reply. There were a few scripts that used counting breaths. It's a great idea for when I know I'm too tired to stay awake. Thank you for the suggestion. I look forward to each day of meditation and the new experiences it brings. Having those scripts all in one place is such a great resource. Thank you for posting them. I use them every time. Really looking forward to doing one of the extended ones that are over an hour.

Greetings, I'm 65 days into my goal of 90 straight days of daily lying relaxation (missed one day in there early on). On days 43 and 44 I experienced what I'm guessing is what Kit means by "now experience the sensation of being deeply relaxed". It felt like I was floating in space and my limbs were gently swaying, even though I was just laying on the floor. Hasn't really happened since but it was indeed wonderful. Two things were different during those days: I was very tired and I think I kept dozing off during the script. I realized that up till then I had been somewhat controlling my breath. I decided to just let my breath do what my body wanted regardless of how it affected by mental state. Giving up control of my breath resulted in very shallow breath, and now it seems that I can get closer to that state of relaxation if I really focus on not controlling my breath. Just let it get very shallow with fairly long bouts of no breathing. Just curious what anyone has to say about this. Thanks. -Jason

Hi Kit, I’m referring to Exercise 6 in Master the Pancake. Like this: My crotch (there’s no less-weird reference) is about 80cm off the ground (estimated from memory). There’s just too much space under my legs for a bolster. Thanks for the help!

Hi, I have really limited range in side splits so I need a large bolster to be comfortable enough in that position to relax. I’ve tried inflatable exercise balls but the instability of the ball makes it difficult to relax. Looking for other suggestions. Thanks for any ideas you have.

@Kit_L Thanks!!

I'm working hard on hip flexors and shoulder range of motion. Trying to prevent that massive hinge at the lumbar spine. I feel this from sternum to waist, along my abs. And across my chest from shoulder to shoulder, along the clavicle. But also everywhere else :( You can see the box I usually use behind me. It's about 40-45 cm high. I can just about get my legs straight with shoulders over wrists using that height. Just curious if you see the same thing I see/feel. Thanks for any thoughts on the subject. https://youtu.be/hSiqRcNO-kQ Hope I'm not hijacking this thread.