re-shoulder problems

[Guest guest]

Many Thanks kkyogagirlme and tl slade for your

very informative responses. <br>At class the other

night I tried to concentrate on what I was doing with

my shoulders and while I wouldn't say i "shrug" them

I realise there is quite a bit of tension

there.<br>My right shoulder is the problem one, particularly

when moving from down dog to up dog.<br>And-

incidentally my work does involve quite a lot of repetitive

small movements of the right hand and arm which I'm

pretty sure is contributory.<br>I'll certainly be

checking out the books. Thank you.<br>irnbru76

[Guest guest]

I didn't mean to suggest that you are shrugging

but just that shrugging the shoulders is a way to

illustrate what the "shoulder girdle" is. Also shrugging the

shoulders is an exercise that pops up again and again in

various books I have been studying. Also rolling the

shoulders in circles backwards and forwards. I am still

excited by this new awareness of the shoulder assembly -

the arms connected to the collar bones and shoulder

blades which all float freely except for the "hinge" at

the top of the breastbone which connects it all to

the torso. Also I think it is important when working

with exercises and stretches from these books and with

yoga asanas to not just "go through the motions" but

to really be aware of what is happening and to

explore. It may not be appropriate to be very

"exploratory" in an Ashtanga class, but for now you may need to

really exagerate this in your own practice. Although the

shoulder girdle is "free-floating", the range of motion is

greatly limited in many ways in most people. There may be

a seemingly infinite world of deep chronic tension

to explore and remove. I sometimes spend quite a

while just exploring the first movement in surya

namaskara - raising the arms overhead - working very

slowly, looking for stretch points all through the arms,

hands, wrists, shoulders, underarms, sides, etc. Keep

after it and good luck.

[Guest guest]

As a fellow member of the tight-shoulder club, I want to know if there is relief

w/ sincere effort. There are certain shoulder stretches that I wonder if i'll

ever be able to do...

[Guest guest]

Certainly there can be relief. Intelligent effort

is as important as sincere effort. I've seen many

sincere yoga students try to knock down brick walls with

their heads. <br>If you find the practice does not give

you relief from certain physical maladies, either

your approach to the practice is misguided or, other

modalities or styles of yoga may be more appropriate for

now. <br>As a former Iyengar student,I can tell you

there are some brilliant and nuanced approaches to

physical problems not found in the ashtanga system. With

the right teacher, your misery can be alleviated and

the solution may be different than you

imnagine.<br>Be willing to let go of what you think you

know.<br><br>Good Luck<br>PM

[Guest guest]

All those downward dogs of 1st series will do

quite a bit to open the shoulders. Perhaps even better

is dwi pada viparita dandasana using a wall, raising

your head off the floor, pressing the balls of your

feet against the wall.