Straddle pancake stretch with toes pointing forward or upward?

What is the difference between a straddle pancake stretch while sitting on the floor with the (a) toes pointed forward and (b) the toes pointed upward?

In both cases, quads are engaged, knees are fully locked and the rotation starts from the hips with a straight back. 

A physician was at the gym today and saw me doing version (a). She advised me to do version (b) and commented on the technique (a), as "old school". I didn't have the time to discuss with her, so can you comment on her opinion? Do the two versions have different purpose? If yes, what are they?

If you could go into detail, it would be much appreciated. (even anatomically wise)

P.S. Do you have any recommendations on books about principles of stretching with illustrated examples?

Hi Andreas,

Thanks for reaching out and great question.

There are no 'right' or 'wrong' when it comes to stretching here, both are beneficial and you can get results by doing both. When it comes to gymnastics or GST we want to get in the habit of pointing the toes, not only because it looks better but it's more about connecting the feet with the rest of the body. And when doing skills later on, toes are pointed.. so when in doubt, point your toes

Hi Pauline,

Thanks for the reply! I 'll stick to the GST version.