Still shaking after 3 years!

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi there,

I just got back from my Tuesday night yoga class at the local gym and I’m feeling particularly frustrated right now because my shaking problem seems to be getting worse! I really want to know what’s going on with my body, so I thought I’d try asking online to see if anybody out there might be able to share some new advice on the matter.

When I first started doing yoga I used to shake like crazy. Having talked to several people about it I’ve learned that that’s pretty normal. The explanation was simply that I was stressing muscles that my body wasn’t used to using and that they needed a few months to strengthen up. That seemed reasonable, so I’ve been sticking with it since then, but the shaking has just never stopped, even though I’ve clearly gained a lot of strength in the shaking muscles! For instance, even just doing downward-facing dog still causes my calves and quads to shake from side to side uncontrollably.

Nearly every instructor I’ve ever had has pulled me aside after class and talked to me about this, but they always seem to be at a loss. Apparently it looks like I’m really struggling and pushing myself too far, but I can honestly say that I’m not. Most of the time I’m not even feeling stress on the muscles in question. They just start shaking on their own! For instance, I can hold crane pose pretty much fine, and can raise the lower leg up to about 40 degrees in preparation for “hand to big toe” pose, but once I raise it past about 50 degrees [I]both[/I] of my legs start shaking violently (to the point where my standing heel starts hitting the mat repeatedly and making a thudding noise)! The strange thing is that I don’t actually feel stressed until I bring the leg up to about 80 degrees. Also, if I lower it back down to 40 then the shaking immediately stops. It seems like there’s a threshold like that in a lot of poses where crossing it immediately induces shaking regardless of how hard I’m working. (And that threshold is sometimes ridiculously low, to the point where I can’t really work within it)

I’ve tried talking to my physician about it, but he didn’t seem too concerned and told me not to worry about it. I’ve also talked to my psychiatrist to see if my medications could be causing the shaking and he didn’t have anything conclusive to say either. I’m even wondering if I might just be wearing my whole body out at a deep level from all the other activities I enjoy (hiking, biking, running, & rock-climbing), but on the weeks when I’m not as active this still seems to happen.

I just want the shaking to stop, but I’m really at a loss here as to what’s causing it or what I can do about it! I definitely don’t feel like this is normal any more. Has anybody else experienced, seen, or heard about a case like this before? Are there any solutions I might be able to try? Thanks for any help you can offer!

Namaste,
-Alex

#2

Hi Alex,

When this sort of thing is ongoing it typically points toward an issue with the nerves or nervous system. And you’ve shared several elements, albeit in brief, that lead me to believe a more robust view of you would be critical in getting at this.

If you’d like to cross the pond early on Wednesday morning for my class (7:30-8:30, then 7:00-8:30 starting September 1st) I can get a better look. Or you can schedule a private - with me or one of the other 2,000-hour certified teachers at Purna Yoga Centers. There is also a free class coming up for new students on the 20th of September which I will be teaching.

As I outlined elsewhere, tremors are not a desired effect in the physical practice, they are a symptom, and so I’d not dismiss you with talk of how “common it is”. And, of course being common (on the path of yoga) is settling for something profoundly less than our potential as beings.

As you mention, there may also by synergistic clashes with medications, lifestyle, nutrition, et al, but again this begs a robust picture and I’ve only got a sliver.

#3

I can vouch for InnerAthlete. I’ve practiced with him and he’s an amazing teacher. If I was in WA, he’d have to shoo me away with a broom on a regular basis.

Either way, good luck finding your answers.

#4

Man, a holistic look at things to see what might be causing this does sound pretty good! :slight_smile: Unfortunately I’m not really at a point in my life where I can afford something like that. It also looks like the Yoga Centers would be an hour and a half away by bus for me. :frowning: Maybe some day!

#5

Incorporate the Nadi Shodhana Pranayam into your practice.

Use the final 10 to 15 minutes to do the [I]comming and going[/I] breath.

[B]Follow the Beginner Guidelines[/B] - which you should discover by your research into the matter.

Then lie down in shavasana to finish. Releasing into relaxation.

Do this for a month after each asana practice.

IT WILL HELP YOU.

#6

I would like to thank you for the Pranayama hint. I will try this. I am 75, a practioner of yoga for 30 years. I am experiencing essential tremor and think this is the source of my shaking.

#7

Alex,
what you experience is very common…
I can tell you what I would do… I would explore some other “sides” of yoga but asana practice :wink:

#8

Hi,

I think InnerAthlete has really hit the nail on the head and you have to really look at the bigger picture and take all of the dimensions of your life into account to really figure out what is going on.

But in the meantime, having experienced what you have quite a few times, why don’t you pull back a little in your asana practice. When you go into your pose, try and identify the point at which the shaking starts, then, pull back from it. Find that threshold. Even if it means you don’t “feel” like you are doing much work, that doesnt’matter, I think if anything, it can begin to allow you to discover your body’s limits and honour them.
I reckon you are probably very tired from other exercise and still enthusiastic about yoga, so when you do your asana practice, you want to go deep into it, but actually maybe your body is too exhausted.
Also try to do some yin yoga a bit more, some stretch classes, nice and easy,and see if that helps.
But really figure out what depth the shaking starts at, and take a step back and maintain the pose at a lesser depth. You can still get the health benefits of the pose as long as your alignment is correct, so maybe try that and see if it works.
good luck!
Sophie :slight_smile: