Hi have started learning yoga at home with a dvd that i borrowed but have only done it once so far but also i have tried to copy from a book which there was a something called the WHEEL POSE . I found it really hard to actaully do it tho, I couldn’t lift my head,neck & shoulders off the floor !
Do i need to practice at it more or am i too heavy?
The WHEEL POSE is, while easy for a spry 11 year old female gymnast, in terms of Hatha yoga considered by many to be an advanced pose.
The Key is to throw your hips up and use your arms. but mostly hip action.
The wheel post is a very difficult pose for many people to achieve if they don’t practice yoga regularly. There is a large strain on the back and on the wrists. Perhaps it might be a good idea to attend a class where you could ask a teacher the best way to make your back flexible and limbs strong to achieve that particular pose. If there aren’t classes available to you, then what dvd are you using?
[QUOTE=kezpage;35642]Hi have started learning yoga at home with a dvd that i borrowed but have only done it once so far but also i have tried to copy from a book which there was a something called the WHEEL POSE . I found it really hard to actaully do it tho, I couldn’t lift my head,neck & shoulders off the floor !
Do i need to practice at it more or am i too heavy?[/QUOTE]
try to do more shoulder openings and kinds push-up poses for arm strengths.
The full wheel pose is very difficult, especially for men as we have more musculature in our upper back and shoulders and tend to be more inflexible in that area. I have practiced for five years and am now able to lift off the ground (still far from graceful).
One thing that helped me: I place 2 blocks, shoulder width apart, against a wall and use that as leverage. It is easier to start with than placing palms on the ground and lifting from there. Try it for a while until your shoulders open up a bit.
so I don’t think its so much a matter of strength but confidenceeee that comes through just doing it.
Throw that rascal up there.
Hands and feet in the ready.
Throw the hips up.
Push the head back.
when you up lock the arms.
simple. Muscular strength has very very little to do with it.
Throw the hips up.
In that form then start moving hands and feet closer together.
Form a complete circle.
roll down the road.
Youd be really cool if you could transition to the Head poses from the wheel.
lol
or balance on your thumb
The Play of Children
Hello Kez,
Specifically why you are unable to do the full pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana) would only be revealed if I were privy to your practice.
Generally speaking this pose is completely inappropriate for a beginning students AND I would have serious questions about it being learned from the source you mention, perhaps at many stages of learning (raw beginner, beginner, intermediate). Ironically, it is completely expected that you are not able to do this pose and could be looked at as a very accurate barometer of where you are in development of your practice.
As your practice grows, as you are able to do simple backbends with the appropriate actions and alignments, you may also be moving toward poses such as this one. The pose requires opening in the hip flexors and armpits/shoulders.
While it can provide profound transformation for students to dedicate or throw themselves into the practice with their heart, energy, effort, and focus, it is actually dangerous to throw yourself into a physical practice without requisite preparation.
Please consider turning your attention to Sarpasana (serpent), Bhujangasana (cobra), and Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (bridge) with a sound teacher in order to learn the actions, prevent injury, and experience the benefits of opening the frontal spine, easing the nervous system, and bringing joy into the heart, before moving on to Ustrasana (camel) and Urdhva Dhanurasana (upward bow).
Drew Stallcop is a Purna Yoga teacher there in the UK, certified at the 2,000-hour level.
Warmly,
gordon
[QUOTE=FlexPenguin;35684]The full wheel pose is very difficult, especially for men as we have more musculature in our upper back and shoulders and tend to be more inflexible in that area. I have practiced for five years and am now able to lift off the ground (still far from graceful).
One thing that helped me: I place 2 blocks, shoulder width apart, against a wall and use that as leverage. It is easier to start with than placing palms on the ground and lifting from there. Try it for a while until your shoulders open up a bit.[/QUOTE]
So, the blocks go under your hands?
I can [I]nearly[/I] get into wheel, but I just can’t straighten my arms… Is it strength I’m lacking? I’ve been doing yoga for two years and I’ve seen beginners easily get into wheel. I just don’t get it!
It’s often opening rather than strength. However to know would require seeing you.
It is irrelevant that one has “seen beginners easily get into wheel”. What is relevant is that the shoulders are properly protected via appropriate actions (shoulders kept in-joint) and that the backbend itself has uniformity throughout the spine. Many can come up in the pose but in so doing a) take the shoulders out of joint while they are weight-bearing or b) fold/collapse in the spine in order to “do” the pose which allows the action/energy of the pose to go into a person’s weakest link. The aforementioned a & b are both damaging.
Mostly I am in agreement with Gordon, it is not a beginners asana and it is best to be with a properly qualified teacher so that he/she can guide you appropriately.
But if you do insist on carrying on trying…check that you are not pushing with your feet and legs towards your head…the legs are much stronger than your arms so there is no way you will get up…try engaging your hamstrings so that you are pulling with the legs away from your head…or pushing down.
I hope that “The Scales” is joking with his answer…every asana should be done with full and complete attention, control and focus there should be no “throwing” this is just asking for injury.
Yes, it does not come in one go. You need to first rest your head with both palms and retain the posture for at least 30 seconds. Next step is to move head forward and backward little bit. Keep doing this way and one fine day you will be able to lift for few seconds.
It takes time for sure based on your age and strength.
Interesting to me that there are 2 Wheel Pose posts going on. I came to Yoga through a DVD workout series-P90X. This was a 12 DVD set of total body workouts.I went through the series 5 times. Through this time I gained a great deal of upper body strength. Push ups. Pull ups. Weights. And more. One of the DVD’s was a 90 minute Yoga Vinyasa workout. Very tough. But you could modify the poses. Say do Bridge instead of Full Wheel.But in that year and a half I could never do Full Wheel. Through this program I fell in love with Yoga. After my 5th time through I gave it up and found a wonderful Yoga studio. All I do now is Yoga.
Then one day I was doling an online Yoga workout.I was inspired by the instructor to try full wheel , and I did a 5 second one. It was my time.But it was a process. All the upper body strength training. All the Yoga before. My advice would be to wait till your body is ready. Sounds strange but you will know. It is a process.