One of the first things I remember Desi Springer told to me was about the distance of feet and hands on the mat. She pointed on the smudgy traces visibly on my mat caused by feet hip wide apart and hands in line with the shoulders – how I did it for some years in the former style. She said: Try to go beyond this measure. So, leaving the Downdog exploring Crouching Cat is not just bending knees. It was to reach out to the sides by breaking a pattern of behaviour which is a main aspect of Sridaiva.
Today we practice Sridaiva by using the full size of the mat, often using the margins or even the space beyond the mat. Maybe, for Sridaiva the usual size of the mat is of no helpful use anymore. To really open up the pelvic floor we are invited to put the feet even mat wide apart. Pressing the knee outwards against an imagined or real antagonism lifts the glutes towards the center of the sacrum and initializes the Bowspring.
Gracias a Elena for modeling! You have a beautiful practice +++