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Shoelace Pose

This pose is intense, so doing one leg at a time and placing a block under the hip is a great modification. Here this pose is more of a "Half Lord of the Fish" Pose (without the twist) where the knee is pointed up. The opposite leg is stretched out instead of bending back. This will help warm up the outside muscles and tissues in the leg and eventually will get the student in the full expression of the pose.	Stacking the knee on top of the outstretched leg and not bending back the second leg is a modification that is closer than the first picture in getting to the full expression of the pose: this is because it is opening the outside of the hip more with the knee more neutral to the body.	Shoelace with a neutral, straight spine brings great healing benefits: its a great counterbalance to twisting, backbending and forward folding. It is also a good place to lead a meditation, breath-work exercise, or teach a mudras! Have students sit on a block (or a stack of blocks) to help get the knees stacked. Also a block under one knee or the side of the hip that is up, will assist and stabilize the pose further opening the hip joint.
The further the ankles are from the body, the less intense the stretch. The aim (full expression of this pose) is to stack both knees on one another.	The closer the heals are to the body, the more the intense the stretch.	Adding a forward fold brings a deeper complexity to this pose: the student can place a block under his/her head if it can't reach the knees to rest comfortably.
Using a strap makes this pose not only easier, but keeps the back straight and allows the pose to be done correctly without tension. It is highly recommended to offer this pose with this strap modification.	There aren't many opportunities in Yin Yoga for a tricep/front of the arm opening, so adding this arm stretch brings a deep chest opening that couples nicely with the outer hip opening.
Doing this pose on your back will take the pressure off of the knees: it is still an intense outer hip/IT band opener.	Grabbing the ankles brings a deeper stretch and more control over the pose.

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