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We made up this stretch on the fly for a student who for medical reasons didnt want to put her head down. I aimed to stretch the posterior chain in the way the downward dog does (though only on one side at a time). The front of the foot is raised on blocks to give a calf stretch and brought a long way forward to give a bit of a hamstring stretch as well. The hip on that side is pressed back strongly. What was surprising is how different it was from the downward dog. Most of us felt it strongly along what might have been the line of the glutes, one student felt it stongly on the inner thigh. I guess it is going to pick out different muscles depending on pre-existing tightnesses and patterns of use, as well as subtle rotations during the stretch. However, because it targeted a different pattern of muscles from a downward dog (and incredibly valuable stretch in my opinion), it might be a useful stretch in peoples' armoury (even if they can do the downward dog). Out of interest, has any one tried this stretch, is it a standard one, and what are your opinions of it? Jim.

Yet another clip from last Wednesday's filming sesh @ Sydney Stretch Therapy. This one is a nice progression for unlocking Downward Dog.

Hello all, This is a taste of the programs we start making the day after tomorrow (Tues, Apr. 15 now; I like date stamps). Olivia takes you through a follow-along single leg dog pose: this is THE KEY to ankle and calf flexibility, but that's not all. For many (especially those of you have tight calf muscles) this is the key to unlocking forward bending. Don't just watch; try it—it is very strong, and very effective. Comments most welcome, and please share this as widely as you can.