Today our teacher demonstrated and asked us to try crow pose. I couldn’t do it and I assume it is my lack of arm/shoulder strength. I have never had strong arms and due to inflammation in the supraspinatus tendon in my shoulder I think I have less than adequate shoulder strength as well. I would very much like to gain strength enough to do this pose. Any suggestions as to what kind of exercises or poses that would prepare me for it ?
Do yogis mostly gain strength through asana practice or do some advocate regular gym workouts ?
As background I can mention that I am 51 years, have done 1 year of fairly regular asana practice ( at first mostly Bikram but lately a more varied type of hot yoga ). Right now I practice 3-5 times a week.
Chattarunga is good for developing upper body strength and will be gained with regular practice of sun salutations. It’s a process which doesn’t happen overnight. I have poor upper body strength myself but I am resisting the urge to lift weights. I believe my own body weight is adequate resistance! 
Hi AlbaRose,
I do not have a lot more experience than you, and a couple of weeks ago my feet left the floor in Bakasana 
I started with weak wrists, arms, shoulders and a weak core (back and front). All those areas are in my opinion helpful for Bakasana, and you need to really engage your core muscles.
Before worrying about how to strengthen all of those areas, and with your practice you should be able to get the strength by the time, let me tell you that Bakasana is a pose that one has to understand. Especially when you tried it once so far, it is ok to keep the feet on the floor and to learn what is happening. What has helped me are statements like
- get yourself into a little package while having the hips far off the floor
- look forward, say to the end of the mat, rather than down (when my teacher said this, my feet went up :D), work on having the back straight, rather than round
- bend the arms, so the upper arms go forward
- in order to lift the feet, move forward, not up!
Good luck and don’t worry, this is a pose which requires some practice
My teacher often says that in order to develop strength we have to do transitions very slowly (especially lowering from plank to chaturanga).
I also like the concept of neuro-muscular remodeling: meaning that sudden increase of strength which occurs after starting heavy training (like weights) is not related to increase in muscle mass but rather in neural remodeling of the muscle. Body learns to:
- engage all muscle fibers at shorter time interval (producing greater strength) and muscles in correct order.
- lower the inhibition reflex (disengagement of the muscle when its stretched too much)
- relax antagonistic muscle.
All those factors result in ability to generate greater power. And from what I read degree of remodeling is related to peak effort and time spent at this peak (but more to the effort level). So I guess the fastest way to progress would be to get to the point of max effort and trying to stay there as long as possible. But from my own experience - its important to avoid impulsive movements. Everything close to the peak effort has to be done SUPER SLOW and in a fully controlled way.
Thank all of you for such helpful responses ! Of course it was premature to ask for help after just trying it once, I know from other poses how they have to be shaped and worked on in the tiniest increments as to allow muscles and brain and body to understand the pose and how that process is never finished. But I was somehow so excited by just trying it that I knew I wanted to start working on it. I will keep trying ( but tonight I have booked a Yin class which is another new thing in my practice ). Thank you, AlbaRose
AR,
Just enough information for me to be dangerous. Thank you
Short answer: this stuff should be handled by the teacher you’ve chosen to impart the practice to you. That which leads up to your readiness for Bakasana, that which is modified due to your lack of readiness, and the refinements - when you are prepared physiologically, these are the tasks of your teacher.
Safety concerns first.
You outline inflammation in a very specific anatomical location. The supraspinatus is one of five muscles comprising the “rotator cuff” complex. It connects the shoulder blade to the upper arm bone. If there is weakness or reduced ability in that muscle you can imagine how the other four tiny muscles have to compensate under load. Ergo the larger question may be whether poses where the entire body weight is borne on the upper extremities should be done at all (or in what way) by those with such issues.
With all due respect I’m going to disagree with one of my peers in this thread regarding Chaturanga Dandasana. That pose is almost universally done without alignment, lacking shoulder integrity, then it is almost universally over done as part of sequence of rapidly moving poses. Put poorly executed and repetition together and it’s a formula for shoulder joint chaos.
Once you are cleared for weight-bearing on the upper extremities then you may add the following poses to your home practice; Phalakasana (plank), Bhujangasana (cobra), Sarpasana (serpent), Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward facing dog), Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (upward facing dog) Ashtanga Namaskar (eight-point), Vasisthasana, and Sirsasana.
[I]The above ASSUMES these poses are being done correctly, are preceded by appropriate preparation for YOUR body, and are supervised where warranted.[/I]
Thank you, InnerAthlete,
you are very correct in saying that maybe my shoulders will not allow having the entire weight on them. It has only been a few weeks since I left Bikram ( because a new studio much closer to my home opened which makes it possible for me to practice more often then when I had a longer distance to travel ). In the new studio I now do other poses than Bikram and hopefully in due time I will gain strength and ability in my upper body. There is a “Chaturanga flow sequence” which we do at our own pace and so far I have opted to do it slowly, spending time in plank and then not do chaturanga but move into upward dog. Simply not strong enough for moving into chaturanga. Thank you for your insights ! AlbaRose
With all due respect I’m going to disagree with one of my peers in this thread regarding Chaturanga Dandasana. That pose is almost universally done without alignment, lacking shoulder integrity, then it is almost universally over done as part of sequence of rapidly moving poses. Put poorly executed and repetition together and it’s a formula for shoulder joint chaos.
Whole heartedly agree with Gordon on this one. I do not teach Chatturanga and like Gordon, find that too many lack the strength and shoulder integrity needed. What we do instead is either high plank to up dog or come to knees with ankles crossed and do mini push ups. RTC injuries are painful and take a good deal of time to heal. Alignment in Chatturanga is critical and when moving in a fast vinyasa style, one tends to get sloppy (usually unknowingly) in order to keep up. It is best to modify and keep good alignment.
I had a medium full thickness tear in the supraspinatus and ended up having surgery. My issue was more of a thick acromium and every time I would raise my arms overhead it would irritate the tendon, eventually fraying and then tearing it. How were you dx with inflammation in supraspinatus? Were you sent to PT? Did you give yourself adequate time to reduce the inflammation before resuming yoga?
Hi Lotusgirl,
my shoulder pain is nothing new, started about 7 years ago. Back then I had huge amounts of stress in my life with illness and death in my immediate family so I neglected my sore shoulders and tried to swim away the pain ( I thought swimming would be gentle but it was obviously a bad choice ). Tried yoga at my gym but couldn’t do it, too much pain from down dog and no insight on my part or instruction. Then three years ago I was introduced to Bikram, again too much pain from lifting my arms above my head. Went back to Bikram a year and a half ago, took it easy with lifting my arms, strenghtened my scapular area and my back which helped and the pain slowly got better. Then after several years of shoulder pain and many large changes in my life I finally saw both a physical therapist and an orthopaedic surgeon, they as well as an MRI concluded that both my supraspinatus tendons are inflamed, swollen and full of calcifications. The surgeon suggested starting with physical therapy and then after that see if an operation is needed or not.
I have clearly neglected looking after my shoulders because of everything else in my life and I have felt such good effects of the yoga for the rest of my body and my mind that I have put up with shoulder pain which I have gotten so used to anyway.
Now I just have to see if this new yoga can be done in a manner that doesn’t increase the pain. Working on my rotator cuff. I will ask my teacher about these alignment issues. Many thanks, AlbaRose
AlbaRose,
Honestly, from my experience with our similar issues surgery was the best and only option for me. I tried PT first, but I knew it was something more than inflammation. The exercises they had me doing hurt terribly, and knowing my body I knew I needed to stop and did. But I’m glad yours is only inflammation and hope it doesn’t get any worse for you. Take it easy and allow yoga to help with your healing. Another pointer for you…When you bring your arms overhead, stop 1/2 way and turn your palms up. This allows for greater movement in the joint. Same goes if you are on your back and do something that requires you to bring your arms overhead and behind. Turn palms up.
I hope PT and refining your yoga practice helps with your healing. But don’t completely count out surgery. Again, with patience and yoga you can heal from that as well. Just know that you will and visualize the area healing.
Healing thoughts sent your way. Please keep us posted!
Thanks again lotusgirl, I will certainly not rule out surgery but I will try to be more diligent with the exercises given to me by the PT as well as trying to be more gentle in the yoga room. I easily get carried away and want to do more than perhaps I should.
How quickly after surgery did you feel that you had normal strenght and movement in your shoulder again ? Thank you for the thoughts.
My surgeon told me he thought I’d be back to 100% within 6 months. When I asked him why he thought that he said, you do yoga! PT was no fun the beginning, I assure you. However, I was very mindful of my body while practicing and teaching. My students loved their one armed teacher! lol When I first started PT, I couldn’t even get my hands behind my back in Anjali Mudra. Each week I saw my hands climb higher and higher. The pivotal day came when my therapist told me to try Down Dog. I thought I was in heaven. I took time and patience, but was smooth sailing from then on. And as the Dr. predicted, it was just about 6 months to the day and I am happy to say I am 100%.
AlbaRose, you seem to have a good handle on your issue. Listen to your body. Sometime the greatest healing comes when we move to a more gentle practice. Still your mind and listen. You’ll do fine.
Good luck!
Lori