I practice the split poses every day. Usually my body is upright and my hands are on blocks. Getting into hanumanasana means that one must stretch.

How to stretch safely:

1. Practice daily.

2. Be patient and trust the process.

3. Feel the stretching pain. It will fade away after a while. Go a bit deeper. How far can you go without over stretching? This is your personal knowledge you acquire. Get to know your limits and get a bit beyond them, not too much.

4. Practice stretching exercises only after a warm up.

5. Repeat this pose three times.

6. Hold the pose up to one minute. Start with a couple of breaths. Change sides. Repeat. This time it should be possible to get a bit deeper and to hold the pose longer.

7. Again be attentive. Don’t overdo. Injuries are setbacks. Practice responsibly.

I practice this pose as a preparation for back bending. When the body is upright the front side of the hips gets stretched enormously. Being flexible on the front side of the hips is very useful when bending backwards.

Keep breathing.