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EXPERT
m
Carrie-Anne Fields
Carrie-Anne founded My Health Yoga in 1998 to specialise
in yoga, counselling and healing. She has a degree
in psychology and is certified in yoga, acupuncture,
kinesiology, reiki and Ka Huna Bodywork. Carrie-Anne is
an accredited Level 3 Senior Yoga Teacher and represents Australia as a
board member of the World Movement for Yoga and Ayurveda.I’ve been practicing yoga for many years, but I still struggle with Shoulderstand.
Every time I practice it, I end up with a sore neck for days. Do you know why this is?
And can you recommend any poses I can practice in working up to Shoulderstand?
Hi, and thanks for your question. I know
so many people can relate. Without getting
more details, I can’t pinpoint exactly why
you have a sore neck after Shoulderstand,
however,it’s fair to say that we are allmade
up a little differently anatomically and for
some of us, the full version of Shoulderstand
just isn’t an option. This pose requires us to
fully lengthen our neck and engage
Jalandhara Bandha (chin lock) which occurs
somewhat naturally just by performing this
pose. You can, however, increaseJalandhara
Bandhaby energetically and physically
drawing your throat toward your neck.
This increases length in your neck and
provides a ‘seal’ of energy which protects
and strengthens the neck. Bridge Pose is a
wonderful preparation for shoulder stand
and helps you to practice Jalandhara Bandha
as well as work on squeezing the shoulder
blades together so the elbows are shoulder-
width apart. This alignment of the arms
further assists our neck to be secure in the
A
Our asana and philosophy expert Carrie-Anne Fields answers all your yogi questions.
Ask the EXPERTS
full Shoulderstand pose. A modified version
of Shoulderstand will be your next step on
from Bridge Pose. When modifying, place a
folded blanket under your shoulders, with
the neck and head sitting off the blanket.
Take your legs up the wall, then place feet
against the wall (hip-width apart) and press
into Shoulderstand with knees bent. Ensure
your arms/elbows are shoulder-width apart
(or as best as you can) and the ankles are in
line with the knees. The support of the wall
helps you to control the movement and take
weight off your neck. You will be able to
create pranic flow into your neck which, over
time, will lengthen and strengthen this areaso that soon you can
perform the full version of
Shoulderstand. You may
also wish to repeat the
affirmation, “I speak my
truth with ease,” as this
relates to the symbolism of
this pose. Wishing you well
in this incredible pose known
as the Queen of the Asanas.Got a question
for Carrie?
Send them to
[email protected]