I have only been doing yoga for one month and it has been an initial daily practice of 4 hours (at Sivananda Ashram ) reduced to 2 hours a day on my return home. i didnt feel any kind of pain whilst at the ashram but since practising alone i am not able to hold sarvangasan more than 30 seconds due to pain in my fingers and thumbs and tingling/numbness up to 4 hours afterwards. Following with sethubandasan and then matsyasan i find my hands are very uncomfortable afterwards. Im not sure why this discomfort has started as i never push myself more than my body will allow. Is this a nerve condition and would it be considered acceptable in the early stages of ones practice?
The cause of your tingling fingers is most likely compression of your nerves. It is NOT acceptable in any stage of your practice. Your symptoms show you that you are pushing yourself further than your body will allow. Sarvangasana is a challenging pose for beginners. I do not teach this within the first 6 months of practice.
Have you tried to practice sarvangasana with a support (folded blanket) under your shoulders so that the normal cervical (neck) curve is maintained? That should prevent nerve compresson in the neck. Possibly nerves are being compressed elsewhere (brachial plexus).
Most likely your triceps, latissimus and middle trapezius are too weak to do the pose safely. You could use cat bows to increase shoulder strength first. A cat bow starts from cat position. You then exhale your chest forwards towards the floor, keeping your elbows close to your body. Inhale back to straight arms. You should build this up to 12 repetitions which you should be able to do comfortably before proceeding to shoulderstand.
Never underestimate the value of half-shoulderstand (viparita karani); it is much safer and brings similar benefits.
anula – I have had similar symptoms, though not from asana practice. It took weeks of repetition of the movement that eventually caused the tingling and pain, so the timing of your discomfort is in line with my experience.
(not that this is diagnostic, just that ‘it’s happened before.’)
Hello Anula.
I do not train or teach in the Sivananda lineage. So ultimately it is best to ask those to whom you have trusted your safety and evolution. That having been said …
Without any background on you it is problematic for me to provide much and to do that providing with accuracy. Though I’ve learned on this forum that even when I request such things they are rarely provided.
Generally speaking, the upper extremities (your arms) are innervated (supplied signals) through the cervical spine (neck). If you are having tingling in the hands/fingers then there exists the possibility of obstruction. Sarvangasana, done safely, is done on several folded blankets or a foam pad in order to preserve the curve in the student’s neck. For students with pre-existing cervical spine issues additional modification are required. Some students should not do the pose. I start students with the feet at the wall in this pose.
Furthermore, you’ve mentioned Matsayasana which I rarely do and almost never teach. I certainly do not advocate bearing weight on the head after opening the neck in Savarangasana. But again, this would be something you’d have to take up with your teacher.
In Purna Yoga™, tingling and numbness in the extremities is not a desired residue of the practice.
gordon
Thankyou very much for replying to my post. im really new to yoga and it is very interesting to note how differently people practice it. I am very happy with the Sivananda practice but have noticed it differs greatly from other styles in that we do quite advanced asanas from an early stage and there are poses and counter poses. Matsayasana being counter pose to shoulderstand. Its amazing how different lineages differ so greatly. (there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground?)
Indeed, the difference in yoga schools is remarkable. Even my own teacher training was rather scanty with safety information and I only really learned this in my yoga therapy course.
I have never had any Sivananda training, but I have seen a book with their series and I own “The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga” by Swami Vishnu-Devananda, Sivananda’s succesor. Looking at the illustrations in this book, I would caution you about headstand, fish, bridge pose, and plough as well. Done in this manner, the poses will compress the cervical vertebrae, which may exacerbate your symptoms.
If I may be so bold, I will paraphrase something my teacher has said.
No one practice is appropriate for everybody, just as no one food is appropriate for everybody.
Howeverrrrrrr
Toxic artificial chemicals should likely be avoided by EVERYBODY.
Ergo some practices are inherently dangerous. That is for the individual to determine for themselves.
gordon
Might be something you might want to see the doc about. I found out i had corporal tunnel. Also could be sign of arthritis. Not trying to scare you but it always starts out with a small pain. At least mine did.
Hope this helps.