Lower back pain after longer stay in shoulderstand

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Pain is perhaps the wrong word for it. The first two minutes are fine but if I stand in shoulderstand for over 3 minutes I start to get tired in the lower back and I don’t know if this is because I stand in the wrong way or if my back simply isn’t strong enough.

Hard for your to tell too I guess… so why am I posting? Well, if anyone has had similar experiences, done anything about it. I get something similar in the upper back and shoulders from standing too long in headstand (over 3 minutes).

It’s not a pain in the sense that the pose gives me pain that stays with me after I get out of it, as soon as I’m out of the pose the “pain” is gone, even if I’ve stood for longer than 5 minutes.

#2

With the ususal proviso of not knowing the details about you , your alignment etc
Often a pain is felt in the lower back because the legs are heavy and if your legs are not working well , and well aligned , the strain is taken into the lower back as the weight , stress drops down into the lower back , so often the legs need to be looked at , this does not negate looking at the way you work the rest of the body , ie back muscles need to support you and the shoulders are best not overworked .
But this is only a suggestion ,maybe something else is going on .
Again with the headstand it sounds like you may be underworking the legs ,possibly overhardening the shoulders , not being supported by your back body. I mention these as they are common issues but as your post says its hard to tell, good luck.

#3

Well, those were good points to start looking at. I should find a good teacher, I really should.

#4

Try gently “lifting” the bottom of your belly toward the sternum without pulling it in toward the spine.

#5

Hey, that sounds… tricky but I’ll try it!

#6

Most likely you need to make your core stronger so that it can support your body being upside-down