The splits are introduced very early in the Ashtanga yoga series. Utthita hasta padangusthasana and Utthita parsvasahita are splits. There is one more difficulty added to this stretch, that is the balance that must be maintained in all standing postures. First and foremost, the postures shown above are balance exercises. Then comes the stretching exercise of the legs.
To improve the stretch, I practice the splits (hanumanasana and samakonasana) before these standing postures.
How to keep the balance?
1. only one foot is on the floor. The toes must hold on to the floor. The toes can become like claws.
2. the knee is pushed through. I learned that very late. I always thought it was better to keep the leg slightly bent to balance if you were in danger of falling over. But my experience is that you stand more stable when the knee is bent,
3. the abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor are tense.
4. the breathing is even.
5. the eyes are fixed on one point. It is better to look straight ahead than at the floor.
6) The elbows help with balancing. If the leg is extended forward, the elbow is pulled back. If the leg is extended to the right or left side, the elbow points to the other side. This seems to be only a small thing, but in total these small things decide whether you fall out of the asana or are well balanced.
7. the last point I would call 'balance of forces'. In utthita hasta padangusthasana, the hip pulls down, the foot is pulled up with the help of the arm. When both forces are equal, this brings balance. It is similar with utthita parsvasahita. The hip moves forward with the same force as the foot moves backward with the help of the arm. This also prevents the hip from moving backward.
In utthita hasta padangusthasana, my upper body remains upright. I try to move the leg to the upper body and not the other way around. My sacroiliac joint injury did not allow me to bend forward in this way for a long time. I then stayed with my variation, as a precaution.
Some postures prepare the body for what will be practiced years later. The splits are part of the 3rd and 4th or Advanced A and B series.
Breaks are part of it. They support the exercises. Tomorrow is my day off.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)