Cari enrolled for my yoga class because she heard (correctly!) that yoga would help her strength, flexibility and endurance in her position as pitcher on her women’s softball team. All of her life, she had been active in gymnastics, track and baseball. Cari exudes energy and is one of my most enthusiastic students.
The repetitive action of fast pitching a softball often led her to come to class not only sore in the shoulder, but her latest complaints were actually about knee pain and stiffness on  the side of her left lead leg as she pitched right handed.
Any repetitive activity in life can result in imbalances. For example, if we cross our legs the same way every time we sit, or lean on one hip each instance we are standing as we wash dishes or stir the soup, flexibility will be favored by one hip over the other, and we might even cause hip pain this way.
Cari’s knee pain and stiffness were remedied when I showed her how to perform the Yoga Tune Up® exercise Asymmetrical Uttanasana posted below (and also as part of the 10 Minute Quick Fix for Hips here). The first time Cari experienced this exercise, she was shocked at the very vivid illustration of imbalances in her hamstrings and side leg flexibility.
Through regular practice of this exercise, you too will find increased flexibility and suppleness in every nook and cranny of your leg and hip!
Never thought of doing uttanasana this way, even though I’m usually craving the lateral stretch. Great idea to raise one leg and I look forward to trying this!
Wow – how interesting that this pose had such a theraputic effect!