Hi, I’m 23 and have started yoga about a month ago. I was a gymnast as a teenager so I already had some strength and flexibility so most poses aren’t too challenging. Recently I have been feeling upper back and neck discomfort throughout most of the day. And when I try and stretch it out I can feel it crack a bit. I don’t push myself to the point of pain when doing the poses so I was just wondering if this is normal when you first begin yoga? And whether its just my muscles a bit soar from developing a better posture?
Thanks,
Anna
Hello Anna.
Please do discuss this immediately with your teacher. Give that person the chance to adjust your practice, see your positions, assess your discomfort.
In the meantime…
Could you describe the asana practice you are doing please? Unfortunately in today’s world simply telling me “yoga” doesn’t tell me much at all.
What style of yoga? Is this a heated practice? Is there a name to it? How often are you attending and how long are the sessions? If you know the postures you are doing that would be even more helpful. Specifically I’d like to know if you are doing shoulderstand (sarvangasana) and plough pose (halasana) and if so are you doing them flat on the floor?
If you are very mobile in your joints or hyper-mobile then the challenge for you would have to be delivered by a very skilled teacher. Most teachers these days are merely choreographers. There are some that can take average students a bit more deeply, but there are few who truly know how to deal with students that can bend.
Because we are talking about yoga and not the uneven bars, it is ALWAYS best to err on the side of caution. Neck, low back, and knee issues are not to be trifled with, period.