Today's Anatomy Question #7: Is Chaturanga causing shoulder pain?

[@FindYourFree]

I have had shoulder pain from a lot of chaturanga..Mary is brilliant..love these vids

[@LizzieYoga]

She is brilliant. Thanks for commenting!

[@365daysofmeditation]

Wow!! This was such an informative conversation. I have to say one of the best explanations of whats going on in Chaturanga I've found on the web. I am going to be doing these exercises with my students in my yoga classes this week! Thank you for sharing & Namaste.

[@LizzieYoga]

Thank you for your warm words of encouragement! Hope you signed up for our newsletter: www.experientialanatomy.yoga

[@BadlandsYoga]

Thank you for these videos and both of your generosity. Question: For students whose shoulderblade at rest is already up and forward because of pec mjr/minor/trap tightness... seems impossible to approach Chatturanga until this tightness is resolved and they can experience a truly neutral shoulder. True? In a group class, I've been instructing "shoulder squares" (arms out, shoulder blades elevate/apart/depress/together) for 3-5 rounds in both directions then asking them to feel neutral. Then play in knee plank by feeling the thoracic vertebrae behind shoulder blades, see/feel on me, one another, and then facilitating yoga pushups to the extent they seem helpful with a slightly more actually neutral scap. I tend to avoid chatturanga & so sun salutations when this presents itself in classes. What are your thoughts?

[@StephanieBoganjuszeldab]

This was very helpful!

[@LizzieYoga]

Glad it was helpful!

[@gioiapharo7433]

I have been a Personal trainer & yoga instructor since the 80’s ... and have been a massage therapist since the 90’s ...... I now limit the amount of chatarungas I put in class - modify them ..... everyone has an over load of neck and shoulders issues .......

[@janeheeley4833]

This fascinating info, so helpful for my own practice as well as my students. I have always given chaturanga a wide berth, but I know I have students that would enjoy it. Great to be able to build up to this pose, rather than hit it hard in the final version. A quick question - Should we be working up to elbows alongside the chest, rather than out or doesn't it matter hugely?

[@LizzieYoga]

Yes, for chaturanga I like the elbows by my side. But when I do pushups I let them open to the side. Does that help?

[@lauriebartels1944]

Thank you Mary and Lizzie! Watching this video has given me the tools for teaching my students (and me!) how to build strength in shoulders for the Plank flow. It has also given me the confidence to teach the flow, as currently I guide people to lower their knees from Plank and then we move from there to whatever is next. By the way, you should see my 30 Essential Yoga Poses book - I am annotating it with information from each of the videos in this series. :-) (It's like my Yoga Body book, which is chock full of annotations and print outs from this years - 2019 - Experiential Anatomy class, which is the most INFORMATIVE, INTERESTING, and DELIGHTFUL, as well as HELPFUL anatomy class I have ever taken. :-)

[@almoncaspersz4649]

Very useful and thorough info thank you so much If a student does have inflammation or an injured supraspinatus what would you recommend they do to improve things?

[@paulacross8759]

Can you say something about the shoulders travelling over the wrist. Eg; when you are in high plank should the shoulders be directly over the wrist or just behind the wrist? The craze at the moment it a right angel in the arms when is Chat.....

[@yogawithmaryrichards]

Paula Cross, it depends on the person's range of extension in the wrist. The typical range of motion is 60 to 75 degrees. If the wrist is placed so that the center of the back of the hand is directly under the top/roof of the shoulder, the angle is too acute for most people. IMO, "wrist under the shoulder" in Chaturanga means that the top of the shoulder lines up with the fold in the wrist. This means that the hands are slightly forward of the roof of the shoulder. This creates a more obtuse/wider angle that more closely approximates range of motion and protects the connective tissue and nervous structures of the wrist.

[@paulacross8759]

Mary Richards Thank you this gives me a better understanding. Looking forward to the anatomy course next year. Paula