Yoga for v tight calves? Yin maybe?

[Gerbi1]

Can anybody recommend yoga for tight calves? Maybe yin yoga or anything really that I can do at home

I’m not a yin yoga specialist however my understanding is that Yin yoga works mainly on the connective tissue, fascia, ligaments and tendons (I.e. the bits around the muscles). There will of course be a stretch of the muscle itself but I’m not sure this would be the best style for tight calves. I think a number of styles would be suitable but you’ll want a class that focuses mainly on stretching rather than building strength in the muscles. As a general comment, I’d say vinyasa or Hatha would be good but avoid power yoga and ashtanga yoga. Speak to the teacher and find out the focus of their class. Sun salutations and downward dog are good for tight calves!

Thank you for your response. I should’ve said I’ve been doing hatha yoga for many years and have never managed to get my heels down, not even close.
That’s why I was wondering if I needed a different kind of stretch. If anyone knows anything that works I would really like to hear about it

It’s very common not to be able to get your heels down. See what other comments you get on here but it may just be that your regular Hatha class isn’t quite hitting the Spot. Do you practice every day or just a few times a week? If you have a problem area that needs specific attention you’ll need prolonged and regular practice on that area to see any progress. Even if you’re practicing every day, if your regular class doesn’t devote enough attention to calves, you’re unluckily to see progress. I had tight shoulders for years and in my home practice i spent 20-30 minutes in shoulderstand cycle ever day and finally broke the deadlock. You just don’t get that kind of attention in a general class. See if you can find a class that focuses specifically on tight calves and hamstrings and try that. Failing that (if your budget permits) some one-to-one sessions might be really useful. There are a number of downward dog variations that can be added into your practice.

Lovely down dog. Makes no difference to get your heels down. If you have heels on the floor, there is ‘nowhere further to go’. So it’s not the goal.

In case anyone else is looking for relief from tight calves. This worked wonders...

m.youtube.com/watch?v=np9eEVfW_ts