How to do it: 

• Sit on a yoga mat and cross the legs so that the knees line up on top of each other
• Sit up on a yoga block if needed to fully cross the legs
• Lean back on the hands to settle in to the position
• Flex the ankles to protect the knees
• Slowly lean forward from the hips keeping the spine in neutral
• There should be no compression or pain in front of the hips
• Focus on keeping the spine long from tailbone to crown
• Maintain slow gentle breathing, consciously releasing tension on each exhale
• Release the tension in layers rather than pushing into the stretch
• Repeat several times on each side
• Once the back of the hip has opened try relaxing forward over the legs and breath into the back of the ribcage

Notes: 

• As this is a sustained stretch it is best used after class as sustained stretches can inhibit muscle power
• Gentle sustained stretches such as this one should be focused on allowing creep in deeper fascial tissue
• There should be no sensation of numbness, tingling or other signs of neural tension
• This is an especially helpful exercise if you find it hard to rotate your leg in attitude devant

Modifications: 

• Please note this should not cause pain in the front of the hips or your knees
• If you are unable to get into the starting position try working on one leg at a time sitting on a chair with the shin bone crossed across the opposite knee
• If any discomfort is felt in the knees, flex both feet to help stabilise the knee joint
• If there is compression in the front of the hips try a gentle hip flexor mobiliser beforehand, then when doing the Yogi Sit exercise, try placing a partially inflated small ball between your belly and thigh
• Do not continue if unable to do comfortably