Neck Pain/Trouble Relaxing Shoulders

Hello Mary Beth

It seems that you are definitely carrying too much tension in this pose. I am hoping you don’t mind if I ask you some questions. 😉

Can you explain to me what you are doing with your hands? Are the fingers interlocked right to the ‘webbing’?

Are your thumbs crossed too so that your hands are clasped together under your foot?

Is your standing leg locked out? For how long in a 60 second set? For how long in a 30 second set? Feel free to tell me if you manage several (or however many) seconds and then have to recommit.

Where are your eyes focused? (You mentioned you know you need to look up, so where exactly are you looking when you are not doing that?)

Can you explain to me please what you meant by ‘I try to bring my shoulders down’?

Looking forward to your answers

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hello Mary Beth

The answer is actually fairly simple for you! Hallelujah. Will it be worth the wait? I do hope so :red:

You are stacking the cards against yourself because of something that is being said to you that nobody who actually can do this pose actually follows.

What’s this you ask? And so you should.

There is a command that says: “Interlock all 10 fingers underneath the ball of the foot, including the thumbs”.

What you actually have to do is “interlock all 8 fingers to the webbing, place them under the ball of the foot. Make sure your thumbs are also under the foot and do not lay on top.”

In effect when your fingers interlock to the webbing they form a platform on which your foot rests.

If you interlock the thumbs as well the hands come together. Much tension is introduced. This tension radiates from fingers and thumbs through the hands right up through to the shoulders.

As the muscles in the neck and the head and the shoulders are all interconnected you will find that your neck pain will never resolve if you cannot remove the tension at its source.

You can, even while you sit at the computer, put this theory into practice. I am not going to complicate it by asking you to bend over, placing hands under the foot. But just for a moment sit there and interlock all 10 fingers. Imagine you are putting them under your foot. If they weren’t already tense before your visualisation, then they certainly will be now. Notice how your arms lock even through bended elbows.

Now relax those thumbs so that they are not interlocked. Press your hands towards each other but feel the relaxation in your hands and how you are able to keep the hands firmly interlaced yet without tension.

Next when you are in class, try something new for me (well it’s for you actually).

I ask you to do this for a few classes so you can absolutely make sure that you are NOT in any way, standing on your hands. Your hands are not supposed to hold your foot up. The command to bend over and pick up your foot can cause this problem.

Try this: Bend up the leg to 90 a degree angle and flex your toes back towards your nose. Stand there, engage your core. Then exhale and round down and with your 8 fingers interlocked, place all 10 fingers underneath your foot which is already in position. Maintain that relaxation in your hands, arms, shoulder and neck. Looking forward will be much easier now because your neck is relaxed.

Let me know if you need more details. I really will get back to you, I promise

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

You are ever so welcome, Mary Beth

Thank you

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂