Downward facing dog

Cleanman

Hi all,

I'm pretty new to yoga (I've done about 20 classes so far) and I'm really enjoying it. One problem I have is that I've aggravated an old shoulder injury since taking up yoga. I'm pretty positive that it's down to doing the downward facing dog pose. It's really annoying because I'm just starting to really enjoy the pose (I hated it at first!). So I've two questions to ask for anyone that might know.

1) Are shoulder injuries common from yoga or could it be that I'm doing the pose wrong? It seems to me that there's a lot of strain on the shoulders during class.

2) Are there any specific types of yoga I can do for a while that don't incorporate the shoulder as much or should I just speak to my instructor before my next class to see if I can do something else while the rest of the class does the downward facing dog (and side plank).

Any help/advice much appreciated:D

Hermione*

I can see how side plank could be an issue, all right. I've never heard of downward dog giving somebody shoulder problems, though.

I would definitely speak to your teacher before the next class. It might be something to do with your position in the pose.

ivy tilsley

I agree: if you're in any doubt, talk to your instructor. They have to study anatomy and all that and are better equipped to see where you're having problems.

I know for my part that if my hamstrings are a bit tight or I'm tired, I can slouch in the pose and it puts horrible pressure into my shoulders and wrists.

It's also important to remember that you can drop out of the pose if you're finding it at all painful or too hard. It's hard in the early days to imagine that down dog is a rest pose!

Cleanman

Thanks for the replies. When I do the down dog, I notice that my shoulders internally rotate, closing the space in my shoulder - which I think is leading to my problems (I think!). It may not ordinarily be a problem, but I had a pretty bad injury a few years ago that has flared up again.

I'll get to my next class a few minutes early and ask my instructor what she thinks and take it from there. Hopefully I'm simply doing something wrong and she can help me to correct it.

ivy tilsley

my shoulders internally rotate

Me too. I was told once to imagine I was opening pickle jars, outwardly. While you don't actually move the hands (middle finger should point forward), your arms mimic the movement and it opens up the shoulders.

Cleanman

ivy tilsley wrote: »

Me too. I was told once to imagine I was opening pickle jars, outwardly. While you don't actually move the hands (middle finger should point forward), your arms mimic the movement and it opens up the shoulders.

Thanks for that Ivy. Great tip. I just found myself practicing that with my shoulders on my desk at work....thank god nobody was looking over at me:P

Namaste1

Cleanman, did you resolve that yoga shoulder issue in DHD?

It's interesting that you note your shoulders rotating inwards. In Iyengar yoga we're taught to rotate the upper arms outwards to broaden across the shoulders and rotate the lower arms inwards to keep the weight on the index finger and thumb and prevent poor baby finger going white! (+1 to the OP about middle finger facing forward!)

I've had people in my classes over the years who find trouble in their shoulders in DHD, so you're not alone. There should be lift in the shoulders, not collapse towards the hands, but with past injuries, doing something consistently incorrectly can result in returning injuries and it might be a case of building up strength as well as finding the correct way of doing it in your own body and building up the staying time over time.

Just to add that it is often worth a trip to a physiotherapist/other professional so that you know what to be doing/or not doing (!) yourself in the event your own teacher is not hot on anatomy - and for your own ease-of-body too!

Cleanman

Hi Namaste1, thanks for the post.

The shoulder is getting better. The tip Ivy tilsley gave to imagine opening pickle jars is really helpful and it's not hurting me to do the downward dog. I still get pain doing the side plank but I've just learned to stop when I get pain.

My girlfriend is a physio so after moaning and moaning she took a look at it;)
She thinks that my posture is lending to my problem so the correcting and strengthing exercises she gave me are also helping.

I got to practise handstands the other day. I was terrible but it was good fun.....and painless!:)

SaraYoga

As a teacher, I found this post really great to read! So happy to hear the external rotation helped in the shoulders! I love the pickle jar instruction I will have to borrow it ;-)

Namaste, Sara