Shoulderstand and plough

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi,

I have 2 questions:

  • since a week or so, my back and shoulders hurt a lot during the day. It is muscular pain, mostly located on my right side. I notice I cannot go into the plough at all any more, it gives me too much pressure on my neck and shoulders. Does anyone have any tips or websites to refer to where I can find good info on this asana? i would like to know what I can do to not hurt my neck, how far can I go, how do I especially hold my head and neck?

  • After i gave birth (over 2 years ago), I noticed i had air going out of my vagina in certain positions. Then it didn’t happen for a long time, and now since a couple of days, it happens all the time when i am in shoulderstand. While i am in shoulderstand, the air goes in and out and in and out… repeatedly. I would like to know what could cause this and what i could do against it.
    Perhaps I have to work on my mula bandha?

Thansk for any replies.

Angela

#2

Namaste Angela,

I gather that you practice on your own without a teacher? If so, i would like to recommend that you please visit a qualified teacher just for a while to help you a bit.

[B]On Shoulderstand[/B]: Your preparation leading up to going into the plough and shoulderstand is very important and without you giving us more info on how long and what asanas you have used to prepare you for these asanas I can only tell you to take a break from them. Typical in my own beginners classes I only start to introduce the plough after about 6-8 months of prepatory asanas and the shoulderstand after another 3-4 months only after the prepatory asanas.

[B]On Vaginal Wind:[/B] The vagina is a set of muscles who may loose tone after something like child birth etc. What is important is to add asanas that will strenghten these muscles again. Initially you may experience wind release, but as you continue to strenghten the muscles the wind will subside. Here are some asanas that will help to strenghten the vaginal muscles:

Ardha Titali Asana, Shroni Chakra, Poorna Titali Asana, The Pawanmuktasana Series Part 2 as described in [I]Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha[/I] by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. On page 109 - 134 Swami Satyananda describe the Vajra series of asanas, these are very good for toning and massaging the pelvis and muscles of the reproductive organs.

I would also like to recommend that you ask a teacher to at least help you with these asanas for a few sessions if you don’t have weekly access to a teacher. I would also like to ask you to visit your doctor to ensure that a prolapse is not busy to develop as vaginal wind might be an indication (not always) that a prolapse is busy to develop.

Hope the problem soon subside. :slight_smile:

#3

Consider locating an Iyengar studio there in Thailand in which to root your asana practice.

#4

Thanks for your replies.
it’s just so difficult finding a good teacher here… the ones i know offer more like a workout kinda yoga with too many students so they don’t really pay private attention. But you made me thinking of hiring one for privat lessons, probably worth it if its not too many lessons. and I will consult a doctor just in case, thanks for the warning.

Thanks again!

angela

#5

Angela,

it is completely understandable that finding a skilled teacher there is difficult. Sadly it is difficult in many, many places. Today I ventured into a class and was astonished that the student were not only allowed to do Sarvangasana flat on the floor but it was actually the preferred method.

A skilled yoga teacher gets to the safety issues for students no matter how large the class is. This is not a function of personal attention. It is rather a function of taking one’s calling seriously and doing one’s job properly. You may not get refinement in larger classes but if you had safety issues (especially in inversions) I’d be at your pose in a milisecond even with 40 students in the room.

Consider doing Sarvangasana in this fashion. Please keep in mind I am not a medical doctor and you should consult your health care provider before attempting any “exercise” routine.

#6

Thank you, Inner Athlete! I hope to find someone like you around here! well, actually, this is what I hope for anyone anywhere!

Good luck!

Angela

#7

That is very sweet. Thank you.

#8

Hi, there are two main things to do if shoulder stand and the plough hurt the neck and upper back : When you do plough or shoulderstand ( especially shoulderstand )Put a folded blanket ( or something like ) under the shouders and definitely do the Fish pose, called Matsyasana,afterwards. It helped me through the same problem-all the books recommend you do the Fish 1/3 to 1/2 as long as you do the Shoulderstand to counterbalance the pressure on the neck. Namaste

#9

In some systems it is actually considered dangerous or risky (for the integrity of the cervical spine over time) to bear weight on the head after opening the neck.

#10

Is that why some systems say do the headstand before shoulderstand ? The example you posted above- with the legs on the wall- that relieves some pressure off the cervical spine ? I don’t have a problem there but I do below in the lumbar L-3,L-4 and L-5 rarely, like today.

#11

Tony asked: Is that why some systems say do the headstand before shoulderstand ?

That is one of several “whys”.

Tony asked:The example you posted above- with the legs on the wall- that relieves some pressure off the cervical spine?

To a degree. However, I would be more comfortable saying “the propping across the shoulders, when C7 is supported, aides in preserving the cervical curve” in the pose.

#12

Thank You, Gordon, this is why I joined the forum. To get some help. I appreciate it from you and several others here, you however would be the budweiser of workhorses here.- Namaste

#13

As Sai Baba once said:

“I give them what they want until they want all that I have to give.”

#14

I was said that one should be able to slightly lift his head from the floor while in plugh position. If one is not able to do that, there is too much pressure on the neck, the pose is overdone, not propely prepared.
It probably depends also on personal anatomic features (general flexibility) so probably not true in all cases - or perhaps not true at all. Opinions ?

#15

I’ll let you know sometime before noon tomorrow- that’s my next ploughing time-Namaste

#16

i too would like to find a teacher like Gordon here in India! I would like to double check that when putting blankets underneath for shoulderstand, they are supposed to be under the shoulders, not under the neck too? i have been trying with just under the shoulders and the tingling in my hands has subsided and it feels very much better, but…the weight is in a different place to where it was when i was doing it wihout blankets ( and getting pain). The weight is more on the occipital area than before actually on the neck itself. IS that the correct place for the weight to be?

#17

Why do you think it is called shoulderstand? :slight_smile:

The blankets should be under your shoulders, not under your neck. Your head should be on the floor and your neck should have the cervical curve that you have while standing up (hollow towards the back for most). This means that there will be some space between your neck and the floor in supported shoulderstand. Most of your body weight needs to be on your shoulders. If your shoulders are not ready to bear the weight, they need to be strengthened first so you can do this pose with integrity. How are you doing with the cat bows?

#18

Speaking only from the context in which I live/train/teach…

The props for Sarvangasana must support the 7th cervical vertebra (C7).
Since it is the end of the cervical spine it is therefore considered the neck.

#19

ive never even heard of cats bows, would appreciate a description. im stunned that what ive been learning at a reputable institute teaches shoulderstand to beginners from day one and headstand from day 7. i never realised there were preparatory exercises. im not surprised my shoulders have been aching so much?! :eek:

#20

Gordon is always right, or course. :slight_smile: The big lump at the base of your neck is C7 and it should be on the blanket, too.

Different schools of yoga have different approaches; some are more cautious than others.

Cat bows were published by Mukunda Stiles who in turn credits Kali Rae for them. They are like a mini push-up. Their purpose is to strengthen the triceps, latissimus and middle trapezius.

A cat bow starts on hands and knees, hands shoulder width apart and fingers pointing forward. Breathe in to cat - spine down. Exhale your chest forwards towards the floor, keeping your elbows close to your body. Keep your head up, your neck long, and your shoulders back and down. 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.