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Practicing Ashtanga Yoga With Shoulder Pain (or Injury)

Here's how I modify my ashtanga practice yoga with shoulder pain or injury..

December 7, 2016 By Monica Stone 4 Comments

It might seem like having pain or injury would hold you back in your yoga practice, but it’s actually a way to take your practice to new depths. 

I’ve been getting this intense pain in my left shoulder that has come and gone over the years.When it starts to feel better, I return to my normal practice, but then the pain comes back even worse. It’s especially bad in the mornings!

I love challenging myself deeper in postures, so this was a struggle for me. I wanted to ignore it, and just push through the pain, but I decided to modify my yoga practice so that I could finally heal. 

Old Monica would have pushed through the pain. I’m finally putting my ego in its place!

There’s a difference between pain and discomfort. When you feel sharp and shooting pain – that’s an indicator to stop. When something feels sore, tight, or just a little uncomfortable, then it’s okay to breathe through it slowly. 

You have to make the judgement call. It’s your choice on how your interpret the pain and move forward, but a good rule of thumb is if it doesn’t feel right, or you’re not sure – then don’t do it. 

This pain felt like bad news bears, so I took it easy. 

Pain should never be self inflicted.

The yoga sutra 2.16 (Heyam Durham anagram) means all future known suffering should be avoided, so if you know you’re creating pain, then you’re not doing yoga. 

Here’s what you should be focusing on when practicing with pain or injury:

  • Breath: Rather than focusing on going into advanced postures, focus on deepening and lengthening your breath. See if you can slow it down. 
  • Body Awareness: Once you get your breath steady, take the time to feel what’s going on in the injured area, but also the areas around it. Where is the pain coming from? What can you soften or stretch to help the pain heal? 
  • Mind Awareness: When your mind wanders away, where does it go? How are you talking to yourself? Bring it back to your breath each time letting those thoughts pass over you. 
  • Mange Your Pain: If it’s too painful to even breathe for a short period of time in a modified version of this posture, then do this in meditation posture, or even laying down. Get to a comfortable position, and breathe deep. Then, focus on the area of pain even if you can’t feel it so deep. Try to feel any difference in sensation. Move around a little. See how your feelings change. Just focus on the area little by little, and try to understand your pain and where it’s coming from. 

Here’s how I’ve been modifying with my shoulder injury:

Chatauranga:

I’m not jumping at all in Surya Namaskara, but I’m lowering to my knees in Chaturanga every time. I really focus on pulling my belly button to my spine, engaging my core, firming my legs, and lowering down with control. Focusing on distributing the weight evenly helps me to strengthen the areas around my shoulders, so the pressure is way less on the way down. 

Here's how I modify my ashtanga practice yoga with shoulder pain or injury

Marichyasana A:

This posture really tested my shoulder. I could come into it really slow if I wanted. It was too painful to wrap my arm around my leg in a normal motion. What’s the point? If it’s painful, that’s a sign to modify. Instead I just took a different shape of the posture.  I skipped Marichyasana B and just did Marichyasana A again to fill the space. 

Here's how I modify my ashtanga practice yoga with shoulder pain or injury

Marichyasana C:

I did the same thing for Marichyasana C that I did for Marichyasana A. I just took the shape to the form that felt the best on my shoulder, breathed deep, and took the posture. You also have the option of hugging the knee if hooking your shoulder is too much. Again, I skipped D and repeated C. 

Here's how I modify my ashtanga practice yoga with shoulder pain or injury

Bhujapidasana:

I didn’t do any arm balancing in this posture. I did a yogi squat instead, and then experimented with pressing my arms into my legs to open the hips. I used this as a time to focus on opening up and building strength.

Kurmasana:

This is a posture that could really irritate your shoulder pain since you’re pressing your arms hard into your legs. Instead I made sure to bend my knees over my arms, so I was still getting the hip opening, and pressing my chest forward while keeping my shoulder safe! I skipped Supta Kurmasana because that would have pressed right on my shoulder, and just held Kurmasana another 5 breaths. 

Urdhva Dhanurasana:

I opted for bridge instead of backbend. 

Utplutih:

Instead of lifting up off the ground into Utplutih, I just decided to focus on using my core to lift my legs. I also decided to lift my arms like in Navasana, and pull my legs more into my chest. This is basically the same movement except I’m not off the ground. The more compact you can make yourself without holding on, the more you’re using your bandhas, and you’ll become stronger in your center. 

Here's how I modify my ashtanga practice yoga with shoulder pain or injury

 

My shoulder has been feeling better and better everyday, and I think it’s because I’m being kind to myself, and have some more body awareness to soften and let go. Of course, you’ll have to judge how bad your shoulder feels, and perhaps you’ll need to modify more or less. 

What pain or injury have you experienced with your practice (Ashtanga or not), and what have you done differently? 

monica xxo

 

Filed Under: Instruction

Monica Stone

About Monica Stone

Monica is a lover of all things yoga, a vegetarian, an avid tea drinker, and never gets sick of soup and noodle dishes. She teaches yoga, practices daily, and runs a Spiritual Book Club in Orlando, FL. She likes to challenge the strict rules of yoga, and makes it accessible for everyone - especially people who suffer from daily life and work stress.

« All Emotions are Painful, but It’s Actually a Good Thing!
Most Of The Yoga You Do Is When You’re Not In The Studio »

Hi! I’m Monica

Monica StoneWell hello there! I'm Monica. I'm a yoga & meditation teacher (and junkie). I teach yoga practices that are quick and effective for the busy person who just needs a few minutes of quiet time in their day. Click around and you'll find quick meditation tips for calming the mind to simple stretches to relieve stress and tension. If you are sick of being intimidated by yoga or just confused by all of the different styles out there - then this page is for you. Yoga helps me daily & I know it will help you too! I'll show you how! Welcome to The Yogi Movement :)

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Testimonials

  • Jaime ShearerJaime ShearerYoga Student Since 2012

    Monica is dedicated to her own practice and the true path of yoga - the one of personal experience - which makes her an outstanding teacher. She is warm and easy to talk with, and she allows the student to have their own experience on the mat. She explains postures and breath in ways that are understandable so that the student "gets it." She makes yoga real and tangible in ways that truly serve the student. Work with Monica. You'll be glad you did.

  • Jacob AbercrombieJacob AbercrombieYoga Student Since 2011

    have always wanted to try yoga, but was always nervous. Monica took that fear away and made me feel like i was the only one in class with a room full of strangers. She is able to work with multiple students during the same move and still make it a personalized class for one.

  • Serena JonesSerena JonesYoga Student Since 2010

    Monica has been a highly influential teacher to me. She creates a safe environment for learning and practice. I have always felt grounded in her classes, and she pushes me beyond my own expectations. She inspires and motivates! I can't imagine my life without sharing a path with her!

  • Angela OrofinoAngela OrofinoYoga Student Since 2011

    Monica is a caring, wise, thoughtful, and talented yoga instructor. She has an in-depth knowledge of the philosophy and spirituality of Ashtanga yoga. My previous yoga experience had mostly just been at my local gym. Luckily, last year I found Monica. She has been guiding my practice at least once a week since then. As a newcomer to Ashtanga yoga, Monica made me feel comfortable and had the patience to teach me the basics. She also encouraged me to start an at home practice so that I was able to obtain a deeper understanding of Ashtanga. Monica is always encouraging and lets me know in subtle ways when she feels that I am ready to move deeper into my practice. I feel that the growth in my practice over the last year has been tremendous. Not only do I notice the change in me but others around me do as well. I am so grateful to have found Monica!

  • Sasha TamarSasha TamarYoga Student Since 2012

    I’ve come across many a yoga instructor over the years, but Monica stands out as genuinely amiable, as she glows with an infectious inner light, and highly devoted to and passionate about her practice. Her dedication to Ashtanga as a lifestyle is very clear, and creates for a contagious motivating force. Every time I’ve practiced with her, she eagerly transmits her devotion and passion of Ashtanga and meditation to everyone in class; she makes the most fledgling beginner feel at home, and simultaneously challenges the more advanced students. While I only practice Ashtanga with her, I know she provides therapeutic yoga sessions as well as meditation. And, if her methods of guiding students out of the Ashtanga vigor into the more meditative savasana are indicative of her meditational techniques, I’d recommend her to anyone

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