Questioning Yoga (hatha, Ashtanga, vinyasa etc)

[Charlotte]

Couple of questions during observations have popped up for me lately whilst practicing and I'd love to ask your opinion: 

A) Draw your shoulder blades down

B) Keep your hips square

https://www.yogajournal.com/teach/alignment-cues-decoded-draw-shoulders-down

https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/anatomy/alignment-cues-i-no-longer-use

I've been practicing yoga for around a year now and to me personally these two slight adjustments don't feel natural to the body, I'd even go as far as to say they could potentially cause injury. 

Yet, every single yoga teacher I've come across encourages the yogi's to do so. 

Opinions and observations?...

Please ?

[ajasatya]

@Charlotte

A prevents blockages of blood vessels near the neck. it also strengthens the muscles responsible for keeping the shoulder blades aligned with its natural position when your delts and traps aren't contracted;

B is not supposed to change your posture throughout the day. it's just a temporary effort to help stretch the muscles near the coccyx and strengthen the lower abs (very little effort on the abs)

[Charlotte]

@ajasatya thanks for your opinion ❤️

[ajasatya]

13 minutes ago, Charlotte said:

@ajasatya thanks for your opinion ❤️

that's not my opinion, though... that's how i learned from past yoga teachers. those adjustments don't feel natural to me but hatha yoga is not always about feeling natural... it's more about strengthening, stretching, breathing and stimulating blood circulation.

there's an amazing french yoga teacher called Timila Boukhtouche. she was my first yoga teacher and she's fluent in english... you can ask her those questions if you feel like it. (https://www.facebook.com/timila)

Edited March 11, 2019 by ajasatya

[Charlotte]

@ajasatya Sorry dude I meant it is your reply. 

Oh I will do thank you!

[Forestluv]

@Charlotte

One thing I've learned is to only go to my edge with poses. The correct posture and breathing is more important than how far I can go - for example with twists. Trying to twist beyond one's edge can alter the position/alignment and cause problems. For example, in Warrior posture, being able to square the hips while maintain other bodily posture and breathing can take a while. I've found Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga to be highly beneficial in opening joint space. Aprille Walker is my favorite Yin teacher on YT. She takes it to another level by integrating mind, body, spirit, meridians, energetic flow, etc.

[Nahm]

For a long time I was learning & practicing yoga and tai chi but it was always difficult because of a bone spur on the back of my neck, and a chronically enflamed sciatic nerve. I would have given anything for these to be cured, healed, whatever - I just wanted em gone so I could do the practices correctly. One day I was just really fed up. Sick of the unfairness. I mean, really, who gets whiplash and a bone spur from a water park slide? Why did I have to have the bad sciatic? What the actual hell ya know? Was just done. Fuck all this. Sat and cried in my own unfair misery. 

Hard to explain, but, some thing arose within me that just started stretching my neck, really far, to each side, front & back, looking straight up, straight down, directly into the pain - through it you might say. Then I just stood up, and stretched each of my legs as far back as I could. Again, directty through the pain of the sciatic. It seemed as if the more pain I felt, the less I was frustrated with it. So I just basically keep going into the pain as directly as I could with the stretching and balancing.

And of course it then occurred to me, that the body is infinite intelligence - and thinking is finite. “I” was thinking. Thinking was in the way, reducing, limiting - downright preventing the healing that is otherwise everpresent loving & acceptance. 

All is well now. 

[Charlotte]

@Serotoninluv Yin is amazing serotonin, 100% agree. I'll definitely look her up. I actually attended a yin class just this morning. A lot of emotional releases for (me anyway) happen during yin.

Forgive me @Nahm because I had giggle at reading your response. Not at what it said but at your delivery of it. From a water park slide though? Oh my god, how in the name did that happen? 

Sounds as if you had a 'fuck it' kinda moment and actually moved in the way you wanted to ?. Totally 100% agree with you about the thinking/reduces/prevents healing.

Wow so glad your all better ? well done dude! No sciatic twinges ever now?

[Nahm]

@Charlotte

Ya. Six flags. ? lol

It’s slightly more pathetic really. The slide part was actually all done, and then you’re just floatin towards the pool, and there was about a one foot drop from the floatin part into the pool part that just got me. But ya, all fine now.  No sciatic ‘twinges’ either.  Healing was probably part of what lead to taking the reiki class too I’m sure, so that’s nice. Reiki 2 in a couples weeks! 

[Charlotte]

Wow ? that's mental. 

So it lead you to Reiki? Well there you go then  oh I hope you enjoy your Reiki level 2! Love to read bits about that when your done ❤️