As a beginner, you'll find it easier to do is you move the leg a little bit outside of the body before pulling down to the chest. Don't be surprised, of course, if you can get the knee nowhere near the chest at first. Just pull as hard as you can, while concentrating upon relaxing, letting everything go, in the right hip joint. When you really try, there is fast progress in this pose. (If you don't feel the pull in your hip joint, you aren't really trying.)
It is essential to keep the calf of the left leg touching the floor. If it gives you difficulty, flex the toes up toward you; the calf will then touch.
Those of you who can get the leg down to the chest should use a more advanced grip. Instead of interlacing fingers, catch the raised right knee in the crook of the right arm,raise the left arm and grasp the opposite elbows, keeping them square, as though they were holding both knees. With shoulders on the floor, pull straight down toward your chest.
As in many of the other poses, you'll probably find more flexibility in the knee and hip joint on one side than on the other. So, keep urging the less flexible side by pulling harder, but with a slow, steady pressure.
If you are unable to get the legs far enough down toward the chest to grasp opposite elbows, then grasp forearms, wrists, fingers, a skyhook, or anything you can manage.
As you now see that all three sections of this pose are a bit like rubbing your stomach clockwise with one hand, patting your head with the other, while wiggling your ears. You have three separate and opposing things to think about - pulling down on the knees with all your might, keeping the chin tucked firmly down onto the chest, and either keeping the calf of the leg touching the floor or lowering the tailbone to the floor. While working on one task, you invariably forget the others.
A deceptive pose, indeed. It looks so simple, yet requires concentration and effort. Just keep in mind your two main goals: to open up your stiff hip joints and to push every single vertebra into the floor.You should feel a pull in your hip joints while you are doing the pose. But you may also feel the real effects when you release and lower your legs to the towel. So release slowly.
Benefits
The Wind Removing Pose cures and prevents flatulence, which is the source of most chronic abdominal discomforts. It also improves the flexibility of the hip joints and firms the abdomen, thighs, and hips.
Read more
about this poses benefits, pictures, video and tips from HERE
Drawings
and info from "Bikram´s Beginning Yoga Class " Book, 1978.
It is handy that your hands should begin the Toe Stand in a praying position. Because if you've looked at what comes next - first you will pray your knee will not break and then that you won't fall over onto your nose and become disfigured. Believe me, the praying is unnecessary. The Toe Stand is really the Lion Who Could Not Roar. It only looks fierce.
You haven't really been asked to dive fifty feet into a half-filled tea cup, you know. Don't scare. Nothing will break. You have warmed up to this exercise, and gaining balance is probably your biggest problem here.
The essential thing here is for that foot to be high and knee forced down as much as possible. And so, as pretty and and dramatic as the praying position looks, as much as you yearn to look like Buddha - ignore the temptation to pray and instead hold the foot securely in place with your left hand until the heel remains touching at least the bottom of your leotard/trunks when you let go of the foot.
Don’t worry too much about your arms that look like a
steeple in this pose. The steps that follow will keep your arms straight.
You’re having trouble? As a beginner, you are allowed to bend the right knee as much as necessary to touch
your forehead to it. If, even bending the knee, you still cannot touch your
forehead to it, you either suffer from a cast-iron spine or you are trying to
touch your nose or chin or chest to your knee instead of your forehead.
