Ashtanga pain - please help!

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Namaste to all :slight_smile:

I have been practicing (hatha) yoga for many years now, and as of recently have taken up Ashtanga yoga. I fell in love with it straight away since it seems to be just the thing for me, and as a fairly fit and flexible person I made rapid progress.

I never experienced any major pains apart from a soreness in my upper arms caused by Chaturanga (nothing too serious or out of the ordinary though), and I always tried to respect my limits and not overdo things.

However, the other day I woke up with a strange feeling in my upper arm, so I attempted several Chaturangas to see whether they were the cause of the problem and whether I could continue with my daily practice or not. Everything was OK at first except for a mild tingling feeling in my arms, but then several minutes later I started feeling a horrible pain in the same spot - a strange sort of dull, intense and throbbing kind of pain that I had never experienced before. So I decided it was better to give my practice a rest for two or three days :frowning:

However, things are still not looking up - this morning I attempted just one Chaturanga, and was rewarded with the same throbbing, deep pain (if somewhat duller). All this is disrupting my sense of physical and spiritual well-being, and I’m becoming quite desperate and sad - I have an Ashtanga yoga retreat planned for next weekend, and I’m very afraid of this problem continuing to bother me and preventing me from making the best of this experience.

Does anybody here know what this pain is, or has experienced something similar themselves? What should I do? Are there any ways to alleviate the pain? Please help, any and all suggestions are very very welcome :slight_smile:

Love and light to all of you :slight_smile:

#2

You’ve posed three questions.

Experienced something similar:
Every person on path has had pain. Every single one. I know what it is in the bigger picture. In the smaller picture please read “alleviate pain”.

To do:
• Speak directly to the person or persons YOU have chosen to teach you the practice.

• Modify your asana practice such that you are not adding to the current fire with risky poses, lack of alignment, improper action, or unclear intentions.

Alleviate the pain:
I would need to know specifics beyond “upper arm” in order to assist directly. If its muscular that is one course, if it is connective tissue, another.

#3

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;74888]You’ve posed three questions.

Experienced something similar:
Every person on path has had pain. Every single one. I know what it is in the bigger picture. In the smaller picture please read “alleviate pain”.

To do:
? Speak directly to the person or persons YOU have chosen to teach you the practice.

? Modify your asana practice such that you are not adding to the current fire with risky poses, lack of alignment, improper action, or unclear intentions.

Alleviate the pain:
I would need to know specifics beyond “upper arm” in order to assist directly. If its muscular that is one course, if it is connective tissue, another.[/QUOTE]

Thank you very much for your reply, will do these things :slight_smile:

As for whether it is muscular or connective tissue…well, I’m not sure to be honest. How can I tell them apart?

#4

I’m supposed to tell them apart, based on the thoroughness of your description.

#5

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;74892]I’m supposed to tell them apart, based on the thoroughness of your description.[/QUOTE]

Hmmm…as I said, it’s unlike any other pain I experienced before - usually if I have a sore muscle is sore it reacts immediately when I do something to aggravate it, but now the pain only arrives a few minutes later - a deep, dull but intense throbbing sensation that makes it difficult for me to lift my arms and, for example, pick up a cup - and it feels like its coming from some part of the arm that is below the muscle, if that makes any sense. If I don’t do anything else to aggravate it, it almost completely clears within a few hours. Anything else I should mention?

#6

Yes please.

Mention whether it is worse in the morning or evening, when hot or hot, when standing or lying down…is the pain int he joint? If so is it in the elbow or shoulder joint? If it is in the shoulder joint does it hurt under resistance during internal rotation, external rotation, (lateral) adduction/abduction, horizontal adduction/abduction…

Does it hurt in adho mukha svanasana, urdhva mukha svanasana, bjujangasana, sirsasana? Does it hurt in gomukasana, and garudasana? Does it hurt in vasisthasana?

Frankly there’s a tremendous risk of rotator cuff injury from the pose you’ve brought up. And that involves five muscles with several different actions. If you have a therapeutically trained yoga teacher then that can be a starting place. If not and you choose that pathway, find one. Otherwise perhaps your healthcare provider might be of service.

#7

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;74908]Yes please.

Mention whether it is worse in the morning or evening, when hot or hot, when standing or lying down…is the pain int he joint? If so is it in the elbow or shoulder joint? If it is in the shoulder joint does it hurt under resistance during internal rotation, external rotation, (lateral) adduction/abduction, horizontal adduction/abduction…

Does it hurt in adho mukha svanasana, urdhva mukha svanasana, bjujangasana, sirsasana? Does it hurt in gomukasana, and garudasana? Does it hurt in vasisthasana?

Frankly there’s a tremendous risk of rotator cuff injury from the pose you’ve brought up. And that involves five muscles with several different actions. If you have a therapeutically trained yoga teacher then that can be a starting place. If not and you choose that pathway, find one. Otherwise perhaps your healthcare provider might be of service.[/QUOTE]

Mostly the same all the time, and no other asanas hurt except Chaturanga. It definitely doesn’t feel like it’s the joint, more like I put too much stress on the nerves in the arm with this asana…however today the situation finally seems to have improved, the pain is much better and is now reduced to a sligt feeling of tingling and weakness that seems to have moved southwards to somewhere just above the inside of my elbow. Am hoping that this means that it will clear soon, at least for now :slight_smile: Many of the other people with experience in Ashtanga that I’ve asked say that they experienced something similar due to Chaturanga, and that I should just wait and be patient until my body gets used to it, and not force things…so I suppose a more careful approach is what I will strive for in the future :slight_smile:

Thanks again :slight_smile:

#8

Understood.

There is a very fine line between what should be continued and worked through and what is not wholesome for us and should be discontinued. May you find the deepest wisdom to execute this discernment in your best interest.

#9

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;74920]Understood.

There is a very fine line between what should be continued and worked through and what is not wholesome for us and should be discontinued. May you find the deepest wisdom to execute this discernment in your best interest.[/QUOTE]

This fine line was exactly what was weighing on my mind all the time…thank you for your kind wishes :slight_smile: