So how much of this posture is in the neck?

Hi Emily and Barry,

I am one of the graduates form Gabrielle’s teacher training, I hope you don’t mind if I reply to your posts! 🙂

Emily, if you are new to practising yoga, a little soreness in the shoulders can be absolutely normal. As you said, it takes a bit of getting used to it and gaining enough strength! (I suggest you have a look at the link below, to make sure that the soreness is not a sign of incorrect alignement)
Barry, the pain in your neck could be a result of many things, for example: stiff shoulders. To make sure that you don’t (unconsciously) hold poses with an incorrect alignement, I would recommend doing a bit of research on other poses too, not only on Standing Separate Leg Stretching Forehead to Knee pose! It is worth having a look around on this website. Gabrielle has some incredibly powerful tips that can help you understand the poses better and how to be safe in them. Teachers often don’t have the time to explain everything in a class so you could be missing out on some information.
https://www.hotyogadoctor.com/index.php/site/poses

My question to both of you about DBJ is: what you are aiming to achieve in this pose? Where are your arms and what are you doing with them? You can also describe the steps you follow to get into the pose. I know I am asking a lot of questions, but the more information I have the easier it is to make suggestions! 🙂

I am looking forward to hearing from both of you!

Enjoy your practice!

Namaste,

Andrea

Yoo hoo, Emily and Barry! Please let me know the answer to the question when you get a chance

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Charlotte

My suggestion is to ask a friend of yours after class to watch you in the pose. What I want you to ask them to track for is the level of your hips. You are wanting your hips to be perfectly horizontal to the floor.

If the hips are tilted at all, then swivel the hips by changing the distribution of weight. Usually the weight is uneven, favouring the back foot. What most students have to do is to shift the weight to be even between the feet (and because of the favouring of the back leg initially, it’s likely to feel that you’re now favouring the front leg! But that’s just relative to how you felt before the shift. 😉 ).

Play around with that swiveling to see how it feels in your hips and legs. Determine from that flat-hips position if you need to bend or straighten the front leg to any degree. Don’t be concerned how bent your front leg is. Be more concerned that your hips are even.

If you are less than moderately flexible and your forehead is not on your knee then see just tuck your head inward and do what you can leaving your hip placement as your priority. Back leg stays locked out. Front leg, doesn’t matter. Forehead as class to the knee as you can with NO STRAIN in the neck.

You see, often people try hard to get the forehead on the knee and their hips are WAY off and this is contributing to their issues. I am pretty sure, that if you’ve read a bit around the forum you’ve noticed how I suggest you get more leverage off the floor with your hands in the best position for you. This may be at the foot or even between the feet. Can you tell me where that position is for you?

Let me know how that goes.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂