Shoulder Stand Stiffness

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I have been practicing Yoga for several years but I am fairly new to Mysore style Ashtanga. Although shoulder stand has been in my practice for sometime, I have only recently been practicing it every morning for a long time (Finishing sequence).

During my practice shoulder stand is very comfortable. However, a couple of hours after practice I experience stiffness in my upper back (spine between bottom part of shoulder blades). When I am sat normally or stood normally I experience no stiffness nor in backbends. However, when I fully round the back (Cat/Cow) it feels stiff. I wouldn’t describe it as pain… but it is certainly stiffer than before shoulder stand.

Any advice would be really appreciated!

Thank you
Michael

#2

after shoulder stand you must do fish pose

#3

Thank you. However, whenever I practice shoulder stand I already always follow with a counterpose. I still feel the stiffness even after the complete finishing series.

#4

Discussed with your teacher?

#5

Thank you for replying. At the time he was away at a Vipassana centre so could not be reached! However I have practiced with him since and everything is back on track. It was a a misalignment in the pose causing undue pressure on two of my vertebrae. I am working on this and haven’t had any problems. Sometimes it’s too easy to collapse in the back after a long practice!!