Yin for Shoulders

This discussion group is for questions about Yin Yoga and other body parts, such as shoulders, feet, wrists, etc.... Also, this is the place to discuss various conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, etc.
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laura
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 4:35 am

Yin for Shoulders

Post by laura »

Greetings all - I have a couple of students in my Yin/Yang class that have some problems with their shoulders. Any ideas on good Yin poses to help with shoulders? One lady complained of "tennis elbow" that eventually created soreness in the shoulder, the other student is tight through the shoulders and has a somewhat limited range of motion. All help is appreciated.
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Shoulder therapy?

Post by Bernie »

Let me state my standard caveat: Yin Yoga is not restorative yoga.

At least, not the Yin Yoga as described in YinSights and taught by me and others. This does not mean that the principles of yin can not be applied in a therapeutic way: it can. It has. (See the post on this topic: http://www.yinyoga.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=466 ) But the way we teach Yin Yoga traditionally assumes that the student is well. If they are injured, they need to look after the injured area before trying to strengthen it.

Okay: that's the disclaimer. But you do ask a legitimate question. And my first suggestion is - if your student is really concerned, she should check with a health care professional. (Hmmm...I guess that this is my second standard caveat.) Unless you are a professional, yoga teachers should not be dispensing medical advise. You don't have the training, nor the liability insurance to cover it :wink:

My suggestion for the student with soreness is to first, leave it alone. I know how hard that is. I used to play a lot of tennis and constantly had tennis elbow and shoulder issues. They did go away, eventually, once I stopped playing! Her shoulder is injured. It needs to heal. If she keeps playing through the pain, it will not heal. Her choice of course. Yoga is not a miracle drug: the mental side of yoga is what she needs right now. She needs to practice acceptance and compassion for her body. Let it rest. Once it is healing, she can start to help it heal with some gentle restorative yoga. Slow movements, not to the full range of motion but just enough to mobilize the flow of energy to the area.

For the student who is tight, a very different story. Yoga will help her. But, in the yin style, don't go too far too fast. She didn't get tight overnight and she won't loosen up overnight either. Read this post for some shoulder Yin Yoga ideas:http://www.yinyoga.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=341.

I hope this helps!
Cheers
Bernie
Jessica Powers
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:16 pm
Location: Washington State & New Zealand

Post by Jessica Powers »

Paul's Anatomy for Yoga dvd has a great section about the shoulder joint and might be of use in sorting out an approach to the student with tightness. I often use short holds of some of Andre Lappa's shoulder openers - for myself this is great but I don't introduce these to students I don't have good familiarity with or who are new to Yoga as they are very intense postures and as Bernie stated there could be a 'too far too fast' contraindication.
Alexia01
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 5:01 pm

Re: Yin for Shoulders

Post by Alexia01 »

Thanks for sharing this useful information. The post seems to be very informative one. I got a good knowledge about the yin yoga by visiting this site. It will be very useful for my yoga work out.
prestonwatson
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2009 8:02 pm

Post by prestonwatson »

Hi all,
I am a newbie and have join recently. The only reason I have join here is I believe in yoga more than any other physical exercise.

My question is when I ride my bike, many times happens that I get a severe ache in my shoulder. Is there any remedy to it through yoga. Thanks in advance.
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Why do I get an ache in my shoulder?

Post by Bernie »

I am reluctant to guess why you feel an ache in your shoulder while riding your bike. I am not a doctor, and even if I was, I have not seen you riding your bike. There could be many causes. Is the ache muscular? Does it last long, or does it linger for days? Is it just one shoulder or both? How long do you ride your bike? How do you ride your bike: are you upright, or bent forward?

As you can see there are so many variables that I would be guessing to say, "this is the cause." If you feel it is a muscle issue, yang styles of yoga may help you deal with this. Perhaps you are tensing the shoulder as you ride, and you will need to become aware of this tension so you can relax while riding and only use the muscles you really need to use. Yang styles of yoga are great to help notice and release muscular tension, Yin Yoga is great to teach you how to relax totally.

If you feel the ache is into the deeper fascia or connective tissues, then maybe you need a good massage, or therapist or a nice Yin Yoga shoulder sequence to work out the restrictions in the deeper tissues.

Sorry that I can't be more specific: I just don't know enough about you.
Cheers
Bernie
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