Hello fellow Yogis!
I have been practicing Yoga daily for the last 6 months or so. I have come a long way and have been learning a lot about the imbalances in my body. Lately, I have been working on opening up my chest, shoulders, neck and strength training areas I have neglected over the years to become more evenly balanced. I have been working on my legs, back, biceps and shoulders. I concentrated a great deal on chest/tris during my lifting programs in the past, but have committed to these weaker areas to find more balance. I have a very regular home practice and try to make it to classes a few times a month.
Lately when I have been waking up in the morning I have found that my neck, shoulders and upper back have been very stiff and sore. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping and wake up throughout the night and need to stretch out. I have used a heating pad, which has helped, but as the temps outside are rising, the heating pad is not on option.
I was wondering if any more experience yogis can share some insight on why this might be happening. I get a monthly massage, try to drink plenty of water each day and have almost a 100% organic pescatarian diet. What could be causing this stiffness? After my daily practice I feel amazing! I think my form is pretty good, and notice a lot of new space created throughout my daily practice. Could this be a symptom of the muscles loosening? Lactic Acid? A muscular or skeletal problem? Obviously I cannot expect a full diagnosis from a forum, but any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!