Hello, I’m new here, and I am hoping my involvement will motivate me to continue practicing Yoga. I have a lot of problems with my shoulders, and overall, I’m hoping that Yoga will bring me muscular balance. One of my goals is to actually be able to do the downward-facing dog with perfect form. A few months ago, I bought some Yoga videos by Jill Miller (no, I’m not selling anything). She has a video on You tube where she explains how downward dog isn’t appropriate for some individuals who cannot pronate their forearms far enough to allow for good external shoulder rotation (just google “downward dog dolphin supinate Jill Miller” and you’ll know what I’m talking about). For those who do not have good pronation, she suggests the dolphin supinate. Now, I fail this pronation test. I cannot pronate my forearms so my hands are parallel to the floor (again, please google the video to see what I mean). Is this a genetic problem? Or can I do stretches that will open up the range of motion in my forearms? If so, what are the stretches/poses I can do? I’ve been trying to get an answer to this for months. My other problem with downward dog is the obvious–tight hamstrings, but that’s been improving. Thank you very much for your attention.
In my experience, in DFD the shoulders do not externally rotate. The inside of the elbow - the eyes of the elbow if you will - should be [I][/I]looking[I][/I] directly at each other and the shoulder-blades should be moving down towards the waist. I am not sure what you mean by pronating the forearms. Maybe your biceps are very well developed and you have difficulty extending the arm at the elbow i.e straightening the arm in which case Dolphin avoids the problem rather than addressing it.
As for the hamstrings, if there is one fault people make in DFD it is obsessively trying to get the heels to the floor at all costs. You can always put a block under the heels or work with the knees slightly flexed.
J,
Welcome to the community. I’ve seen some of your other recent posts.
Might you illuminate me on the presence of a teacher in your learning, why you’ve not asked this of that person, if you have what was the reply and why was it not satisfactory.
I’ll gladly reply to the nuts and bolts of this post after that.
Gordon
Good question, and I do need a teacher (well, I have someone but I am awaiting judgment–she’s injured and that makes me wonder if she’s doing the forms correctly). I am fairly new to the practice of all the aspects of Yoga. I live in a small town, and so the pickings are slim–one of the main reasons I got on this forum was for direction. Plus, I liked some of the advice I read (particularly yours). In the classes that I have taken in my town, I was instructed to have the “eyes of the elbow” facing each other. Then I saw Jill Miller’s video, which made sense to me because I have shoulder problems and my shoulders feel better when I outwardly rotate them. However, my shoulders have started to open up and are feeling better. Hope that answers your question.
I’d like to add that wanting a “picture perfect” asana might be the wrong place to be coming from. How bout wanting the asana and your body to work together with the mind and heart to become the perfect asana for you? We refine our asana practice over years and years and this practice refines our soul and the house of our soul, which is the body and settles the mind. Everyone does not have the same physicality so all directions may not be appropriate for all bodies. Enjoy your downward dog and it’s constant evolution in your particular body!
-Anne
teaching yoga in NYC and the Hudson Valley
violetmoonyoga.com
violetmoonyoga, well said. I have much to learn and ponder. 