Teachers advise requested please

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hello all,
I came across an unusual situation (for me anyway) in my class this week. I have a student who was experiencing significant trembling in her legs with poses that you wouldn’t associate with leg muscle exertion. The 2 poses were adho mukha svanasana and a gentle back release (based on feldenkrais that I learned from Tias Little) done from a supine position. The set up in like bridge, but the hips stay down. One leg (bent knee) moves in toward the midline and the same arm extends toward the back of the mat (alternate with each exhale). She has scoliosis, but I don’t know if thats related to her legs trembling. She is also physically somewhat frail, very slender and vata-like. She is about in her middle 20’s.

The research I’ve done on this situation has led me all over the board. Anywhere from weak nadis, irritated nervous system, shortened hamstrings causing psoas to overstretch, low blood glucose/calcium/potassium, and reference to Sutra 1.30 that trembling is a distraction and can be remedied by dharana.

Has anyone else (teachers) experienced this in their students? Any advice please? Thank you.

#2

dealer,

Not in my students, but I’ve experienced it myself. I used to get a trembling in one leg in pashimothanasana.

It’s about coordination, not unlike what’s going on in new-born calf that is first trying to stand up and walk. There is a loss of mobilization control when the muscle reaches full length, while the stabilizers are not quite strong enough, or coordinated enough to take over. That’s what you want to happen.

Nothing to worry about. It’s part of the miracle. In fact, when it’s happening, encourage her to hold it. As it comes under control, she will witness that miracle.
best,
siva

#3

Did you talk to her about what she was feeling? Did she say anything that might have caused it?

This phenomena is something that I’ve experienced many a time, normally due to some time of agitation or over exertion in the system during the class, in my mind, or earlier in the day. Like your student, I’m also very vata and when I am over-exerted in lifestyle/mentality then I am quickly thrown off balance and can become very frail. For instance, I cannot have coffee in the afternoon and attend a class later in the day, nor can I rush into a class in a hurry after a busy day or stressful situation and expect to be mentally slowed down enough to bring my body and mind into accordance with one another at the start. When I find myself trembling in these situations, I usually time-out of the practice for a while and just focus on take long breaths with slow and full exhalations to engage relaxation of the nervous system. When I rejoin, I give priority to the breath in all postures, and usually the problem does not return for the remainder of the class. This has also been a lifesaver in other times of great stress where I notice a physical manifestation like a tick of the eyelid or a trembling of the hands. From my own experience, I’ve found the hands are a great way to recognize the level of my own agitation in the nervous system. By fully extending them in front of me, I can watch to see if any of my fingers shiver or tremble, and then follow the same breathing until it stops.

I also experience trembling of the limbs when like Siva says, the muscle reaches the full capacity of length, yet the supporting musculature is not fully strong enough to support the stress. I practice a gentle vinyasa style of yoga asana, and so when I have this type of physical experience I generally move in and of the position slowly with the breath and gradually lead up to holding it as the supporting junctures because stronger and more familiar with the new movement.

#4

Thank you so much for your responses. They make a lot of sense. Yes, I did talk to the student after class. She was frustrated that her legs trembled and wasn’t sure what caused it. Your feedback gives me some solid ideas on what to work on with her.