It is interesting to note that as of late, past few years, I started seeing some people performing complete HISHTACHAVA'AH , i.e., they bow down and fall flat on the floor, on their stomachs, with arms and legs outstretched. The Daf Yomi maggid shiur on dial a daf also noted that his experience was not to do the HISHTACHAVA'AH in such a manner, but rather as described in your response.
Regarding the issue of women performing the HISHTACHAVA'AH, I heard that the Rav did not see such a hanhaga until his days in Berlin. Any thoughts??
It is the practice of women to refrain from doing Hishtachava'ah, as it is a lack of Tzeni'us for a woman to prostrate herself in public. (When the verse says that Bas-Sheva bowed down, "Hishtachava'ah Artzah," she was doing so out of deference to her husband, the king, David ha'Melech, and no one else was present.)
Mordecai