“On this path no effort is wasted,
No gain is ever reversed;
Even a little of this practice
Will shelter you from great sorrow.”– Bhagavad Gita Ch. 2.40
I was looking through some photographs the other day and I found some progress photos of me in Hanumanasana that I thought I’d share. These pictures take place over the course of 5 years and you can see my progress.
June 2014
September 2015
September 2019
February 2020
Hanumnasana isn’t a posture that I worked on directly, but I did work on stretching my hamstrings and my hip flexors regularly. I also worked on the depth of the bend in my front leg in all of the bent leg standing poses; Warrior I, particularly, is a precursor to being able to do a split. When you are in a full split, the angle between the torso and the front leg is 90 degrees. Finding that bend in Warrior I will help you find it in Hanumanasana.
Warrior II and Side Angle Pose are also important in stretching the hamstrings and the adductors. The adductors are on the inner thigh right next to the hamstrings, which are on the back of the thigh. If your hamstrings are tight, probably your adductors are tight and both of these muscles limit the front leg in a split
Warrior II
Side Angle Pose
I had never been able to do a split, not even when I was younger. It just goes to show you that yoga is a sustainable practice and that you can still make improvements, even as you age. As one of my friends and students says, “Yoga, it is so necessary!”
Keep working on your yoga. Whether you are close to making Hanumanasana or not. Don't be discouraged. No progress on the path is ever wasted.
You have a right to your actions,
But never to your action's fruits.
Act for the action's sake.
And do not be attached to inaction.—Bhagavad Gita 2.47