[Safiyah]

Hi Rafiqa,

Is the issue flexibility or strength? I've been doing a lot of slow level changes all the way to the ground lately and it takes a great deal of strength in the quads, abs and back (gotta keep yourself upright!) Honestly I've just practiced the lowering and raising over and over again until I get the consistancy and fluidity I want. But you need to know your limits - these level changes can put a lot of pressure on your knees, and if you don't have the strength to lift yourself back up gracefully, you can pull a muscle. I have pulled my quad and inner thigh muscle (groin??) really bad once and believe me it hurts for a while!

I think others can speak on the anatomy of things and what needs to be stretched in order to achieve what you want (we have some awesome anatomy people on here!), but one tip that works for me is to have one foot in front of the other when doing level changes. it helps keep stability, which in turn helps make things easier and more fluid-like.