Worried about possible neck and brain injury

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hey guys,

Although this really doesn’t have anything to do with yoga, but I was hoping you’d be able to help me out with my concern.

I have problems with stiff joints (neck in particular) so I was messing around with moving my neck around today and I discovered that if I tilt my head back and leave it there for maybe around 10 seconds, It helps releive some of the tension.

Now I was doing this for about 5 minutes when it finally occurred to me that I might be doing some damage to my neck and brain (poor circulation to the brain for instance) so just so we can be more clear about what I’m typing What worries me is that I was slumped quite a bit in the chair so the angle my neck was titled back at was more extreme than it would have been if I was just sitting up normally.

Thanks!

#2

You’re fine, there’s no brain injury and you didn’t reduce circulation to it. Hypochondria? Yes. Brain injury? No.

#3

allot of the time the pain or stiffness your feeling is not the problem

most of the time it is the musles ligaments and stress around the problem that need to be worked on

thats what great about yoga it works out the entire human body and mind to help you heal yourself

keep practicing little by little you will work out your kinks and ticks

#4

[QUOTE=David;68866]You’re fine, there’s no brain injury and you didn’t reduce circulation to it. Hypochondria? Yes. Brain injury? No.[/QUOTE]

Hi David, do you have any evidence of this? Please provide your link, thank you.

#5

Hello thewakingof,

Pretty significant first post eh?
I’m certain we all have an appreciation for the nature of your concern.
Let me reply in the following way.

The neck is not a ball and socket joint and therefore it should not be rolled around. However it can be safely moved around in the practice of asana (this is, after all a Yoga forum) on the three axes - front and back (nod), side to side (ear to shoulder), right to left (look left/right).

Some students certainly DO pinch the cervical spine (neck) in such an action and while that is not an aligned nor wholesome action (in asana) it’s rarely damaging unless the doing is incredibly aggressive, done over time with that aggression, with no awareness, in an unhealthy body or with a less-than healthy neck.

Continuing to speak generally (since you are not in front of me, not my student, and not doing the doing) a brief period of doing (assuming it isn’t an extreme doing like balancing on your nose) likely will do less harm than the thought of being harmed will. What the mind can perceive and believe it can achieve.

When the head if tipped back in the practice of asana there certainly are some ways to do it safely and some ways to do it other than safely. Yoga teachers are supposed to convey the former and prevent the latter, when possible - though students are often sentient beings and do as they please:-)

If you are very concerned about damage AND seeing a health care professional will alleviate rather than exacerbate your concern, then go. Anything is possible but it’s less likely you’ve incurred the damage you outline in a brief, one-time doing.