The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Pranayama › Pain in neck from this pose
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › The Hot Yoga Poses › Pranayama › Pain in neck from this pose
-
AuthorPosts
-
Hi,
I get neck pain from this pose and all the poses that require the neck to go backward.
My chiropractor always has to adjust my neck now. She says my atlas goes out.She does bikrim so she knows exactly what I am doing. She says not to go far back but work up to it.
Does anyone else have this problem? I have had whiplash about three times.
Thanks! Otherwise love my hot yoga practice!
: )Hi Paula
What specific tips did she give you to allow you to open up your neck safely without creating more damage?
I think that there is more to do than just tell you not to go back as far. It’s very hard to know where that point is (in a practical sense – because your body reacts: your neck muscles tend to tighten up the area due to unconscious fear that’s set up in backbends). So please take a look around at Pranayama threads because there is a modification you can do… I am pretty sure it’s already described in there.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabriel!
She did not give me anything specific just to be careful. But I think I need more detailed guidance. So far I have not found anything on the forum with tips on this. I will keep searching.Thank you~
: )
PaulaHi Paula
I will try to find it in a day or 2! Or put some instructions together for you if I can’t!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle,
I think I found some stuff on the forum for pranayama. I tried it , not in class but just at home. Still it hurt. It felt like it forced my neck forward from the middle and strained it that way if that makes sense. I will keep playing with it.The standing back bend and camel are an issue too. I will look for modifications for those as well.
I wonder if my neck muscles were stronger that it would not go out of joint/atlas?
I am not giving up yet!
Thanks for your good work and your help!
PaulaMy neck is really out today. I have to go get an adjustment and I am on vacation. Luckily I found a chiropractor up here where I am. I just do not think I should be putting my head back at all for awhile. I will do my best in class with out putting my neck back. I will try again at some point but for now I need to back off.
I get very frustrated and impatient with my body because it seems there are many limitations with it. I have Lyme disease and it is very frustrating to deal with.
The good news is that it is all a practice in surrendering and allowing what is to be and accept what is. It is about peace with what is in my life overall.
Learning about compassion for self and others.Staying in the room when its hot and doing my best, not anyone else’s best and be willing to trust my teacher to help me improve is such a lesson. Staying in the game of life and trusting enough to get help in the areas I want to improve is a humbling and growth full experience.
Namaste
Hi Paula
Please try this. Overlap your fingers around the back of your neck. You could interlock them but my students find their fingers get squashed. You’ll basically create a sling with your hands! Your elbows will be above your chest and they should be able to come together. That’s your starting point.
Now inhale at the same time as winging your elbows out to the side (they do come up a bit) and keep your shoulders down the whole time, lift your sternum and feel the breath expand your lungs.
On the exhale, open the mouth (a little, as you would in ‘normal’ circumstances) and lift your chin as you allow your head to go back with your neck beautifully supported in against your fingers as your elbows travel back towards each other, touching in front of you. Remember shoulders down.
Then continue. Inhaling and exhaling. You will feel satisfied that you can get through the whole exercise without any neck pain. It’s a self-limiting exercise so you won’t have to try to work out what anyone means when they say “be careful” and “don’t go back so far”. Always be careful when someone asks you to do that because it’s not specific and has no instruction that you can actually follow.
This exercise will never feel as satisfying as the regular one simply because you can’t get as full a movement. Just know it’s a wonderful intermediate step. It’s FAR, FAR BETTER than just breathing without using the arms and head movement and it’s far better than skipping it all together.
In normal circumstances using this technique you can, as your neck feels better, start to allow your fingers less overlap, or keep the overlap and move them further down to the bottom of the neck. At first they will start higher towards the top of the neck so that you can perform the exercise without fear or pain allowing the neck to open up safely. As you improve you’ll find you can just move them down, even in the middle of a set.
Let me know how you go!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thank you so much Gabrielle.
It is weird because I tired what you,say and I am still,getting pain. Just tilting my head up at all hurts the back of my neck. It is worse with hands behind my neck supporting it. Somehow the hands add some pressure to my neck when I lift up even a little bit.
I think there is a flare up of something right now. I will let it relax for a bit and try again.Hi Paula
When you try again, gently place your hands there. Also try placing them higher than you did to see if that’s better. No pressure forward (which I suspect may be the problem). You only go to the point where there is no pain.
Sounds as though however, what your body needs first is some rest. Sometimes yoga is not the answer (when things are acute).
Anyway, just popping this response in and will reread the entire thread in a day or 2 when I have more time.
Take it easy!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Thank you so much for these tips Gabrielle!!!
I will do that when things seems calmer in my neck.
Take care,
Paula -
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.