The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Pranayama › Pranayama chest in the way at the start
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Pranayama › Pranayama chest in the way at the start
-
AuthorPosts
-
Hi, can someone help me with set up for pranayama. I have large boobs and find my elbows splay out and I cannot draw them together without having to compromise by hunching my shoulders forward? Can anyone offer suggestions of what I may be doing incorrectly
Hello Nita-Rose
You know, it’s great that you recognise that your shoulders are hunching when you bring your elbows together! Never fear. We’ll work this out pronto.
Let me first confirm that you are only bringing your arms together in front of the chest before you actually start the exercise.
You see, that’s the hardest time to get the elbows together for so many people, when they’re standing there getting ready to take the first inhale. Once the arms get above the head, then on each and every successive exhale the elbows end up together while your head is back, and your arms are lifted high up off the chest. So theoretically large breasts are not going to make a difference to the exercise once you’ve started.
Can you confirm that what I have said is correct for you?
And if it is, then here’s the solution: When you stand there in readiness for the pose, get your fingers interlocked under the chin. With your shoulders down and your neck long, chin parallel to the floor, only bring your elbows as close to the midline as they can be, AS LONG AS the shoulders are down (not hunched) the neck is long and the chin is parallel to the floor.
That starting point of elbows together is a nice-to-have element. The much more important part is to have shoulders down and torso long.
I hope that clarifies what you need. If it doesn’t, then please give me some more details!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thank you so much for your responding to the question. I am waiting for the DVD to arrive as I am sure that will also clarify – but your response is perfect. I understand now that is more about keeping the shoulders down than about trying to draw the elbows together when I begin … so, for me, I should rather keep the elbows apart because the more I draw them in, the more my shoulders hunch up and round forward. But the intention is to keep the tension of the forearms/elbows pulling in towards each. If I am not understanding correctly, please let me know – again, I think when the DVD arrives this will become apparent. The photo in the book shows the model with her forearms together at the start and there is no way I can do that. It also shows her arms lifted almost parallel to the floor when with the neck back … I cannot raise my arms that high … I cannot raise my arms all the way along side my face either …but I am sure that with practice I may achieve that full range of motion? Or is it that not everybody can get their arms lifted that high and close to the ears? Or that high when forward and together with head back?
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.