Yeah, I hear ya, William. I'm no spring chick either.

I reread the thread because when you posted the original message, I too was having a hell of a time bending without nearly ripping my nails off. And now the technique seems quite natural. Yet, I  don't recall ever directly addressing whatever the original problem was. I apparently just kept doing it and got very lucky that it evolved into decent technique rather than another bad habit (as far as I can tell).

How's the bending going for you now?

Sascha