Shoulders lift off the flor

[romymuz]

#2433

Hi Gabrielle,

I’ve just posted on my older thread, but while I’m here, I might as well ask all my questions!

So I’ve tried all the tips in your Masterclass to make this posture work, but somehow I just doesn’t click. If I try to lift my legs properly, my shoulders automatically come off the floor. If I try to keep my shoulders on the floor, my legs only lift about 3cm.

I think the root of the problem may be that I can’t even imagine which muscles are supposed to work here – trapezius? Romboids? The instructors say it strengthens your upper back, but for me it doesn’t even engage at all at the top, only the lower back. My hands are pressed into the floor by my bodyweight, so I also don’t know what to do to press them down for leverage.

I might add that I’m reasonably well-endowed (ahem) and I read in your Masterclass that that can make it harder to do this posture properly…

Thanks!

[Gabrielle (The Hot Yoga Doctor)]

#10296

Hi Romy

I know this is a long time coming so here goes … I think you’re talking about Salabhasana and not Poorna Salabhasana. Is that right?

Are you talking about the pose where you lie on your arms? I will just ask you to clarify so we’re both ‘on the same page’

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

[romymuz]

#10342

Sorry, yes – Salabhasana. This has been solved in the meantime by a new instructor, who added a tiny, but crucial bit of info to the dialogue: “keep your heels together”. I almost laughed out loud at the change this little adjustment produced. It’s so obvious now that I’m aware of it – after all the heels stay together in all other poses too. But somehow I was just focusing on legs before, following the cues as I heard them. The effect was that my knees touched, as well as the balls of my feet, but my heels splayed out, somehow causing a chain reaction up my body. Now, focusing on the heels only, my entire legs seem a lot stronger, allowing me to engage my upper body differently. Yay! 🙂

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