A little transformatiom shot. These are one year apart. I wasn’t warmed up in either one. In fact, I had just come out of the cold river on the more recent. Something that has really helped me with wheel is remembering it’s a chest opener not a back stretch. Of course, your back is a major component but, approaching the pose keeping my chest at the forefront has really changed it for me. I engage my legs more and really push out through my chest. 
Here you can see a dramatic 3 month difference as well. I recently got back from a road trip where I didn’t do any #chataranga and I think it helped me open my chest some more. A while ago, I took a workshop from @beachyogagirl and I remember her saying that sometimes it’s okay to lose a little muscle to work on flexibility. I guess that’s what happened here. I’m finally feeling the energy that is associated with wheel. It’s such a pick me up which I never experienced before. Asana is really just partytricks of a true practice but, the artist in me likes to see the shapes I can make and moving energy and hacking my bodies systems sure is empowering. Not to mention, learning new tricks at 40 feels great. 
You swim in cold rivers? That takes guts. LOL
They’re not too bad. Getting warmer by the minute.