For a few years now I have had some chronic pain in my shoulders. It would flare up about once a week or so, and it would affect one or both shoulders pretty severely. I don't know how it started, and I haven't really been able to pin down a specific cause for the flareups. I have tried a lot of stuff over the years - sleeping with my arms down, sleeping on my back, changing the height of my desk chair, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, chi gong, tai chi, physical therapy... the list goes on. I haven't really seen much improvement in my shoulders until recently.
When I started yoga, I noticed immediately that my shoulders hurt quite a bit in Adho Mukha Svanasana. At the time I thought that yoga might not be a good fit for me, but at the urging of my fiancée and yoga friend, I continued to trust the practice. The pain continued for about a month or so, until a yoga teacher was able to really pinpoint the flaws in my downdog and showed me how to use my back for stability instead of my arms. Since then, my shoulder pain has dropped dramatically. I feel like studying yoga has somehow rewired the tendons and muscles in my shoulder - almost like they have been reset to factory defaults after years of corrupt preference files...
Despite the terribly nerdy simile, the benefits to my shoulders have been profound and persistent.
I have started to notice some other rewiring as well. The beginning of the primary series really seems to work on opening up my knees, which after a few weeks of nonstop popping, really feel like they have been reset and tightened. My back seems to be undergoing a similar transformation at this time.
PS. I touched both palms to the floor in uttanasana over the weekend! First time in life! hi5!
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