Athletes such as bodybuilders, swimmers, basketball players and surfers may sometimes complain of shoulder pain while practicing certain yoga postures. While it is hard to determine what an individual's specific physical issue is, there are several general guidelines to consider that might alleviate pain. Learn to externally rotate your shoulder joints in common yoga poses to eliminate pain.
Avoid Hyperextending Elbows
Use table pose as a way to see what may be causing your shoulder pain. Place your palms flat on a padded yoga mat so your hands are shoulder-width apart and your middle fingers face forward. The creases at the wrist on top of each hand will line up with the top edge of your yoga mat. Make sure your shoulders are lined up above your wrists. A common error is hyperextension of the elbows, which can result in shoulder pain. This means locking your elbow joints. Instead, slightly bend each elbow, and turn the inner elbow crease to face the midline of your mat as you press each palm into the floor, contracting your triceps. This will help keep both your elbow and shoulder joints pain-free.
External Shoulder Rotation
Downward facing dog pose, or adho mukha svanasana is the other most common yoga pose in which you may experience shoulder pain. From table pose, step your feet back so that your feet are hip-width apart and legs straight. If you have shoulder pain, you might be hyperextending your elbows, which can bring your arm bones out of the shoulder joints. Instead, press into your palms and, keeping your triceps contracting, slide your shoulder blades up toward your waist. This will help stabilize your shoulder joints. In some cases, if you have broad shoulders and are bulky, turning your hands out away from each other will help. Doing that, the "V" between the thumbs and index fingers will now face the top two corners of your mat near your hands. This is externally rotating the shoulder joints, which will keep them healthy, according to Julie Gudmestad, a yoga teacher and physical therapist based in Portland, Oregon.
Warrior I Pose
Shoulder pain can occur in standing poses, including warrior I, or virabhadrasana I, if you are placing your palms together and looking up toward the ceiling. If you have a muscular upper back of bulky trapezius and latissimus muscles, instead look forward and have your arms shoulder-width apart so your palms face each other but do not touch. Keep your lower abs engaged, and draw the shoulder blades down toward the hips. This may eliminate shoulder pain. If it does not, lower your arms alongside your hips.
Therapeutic Stretching to Protect Rotator Cuff
The rotator cuff muscles -- supraspinatus, subscapularis, infraspinatus and teres minor -- can be gently moved through a range-of-motion exercise that can help stretch the muscles to make it easier and less painful for you to practice certain yoga poses. Lie on your back on a padded yoga mat and set your feet flat, knees bent. Do a variation of what will feel like a childhood "snow angel." Keeping your lower abs lightly engaged, lift both arms and extend overhead until the back of your hands touch the floor, and sweep your arms down to your sides. Do it several times to move the rotator cuff muscles in a therapeutic range of motion. Doing this two or three times a week before your yoga practice may help reduce shoulder pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, if you have serious shoulder pain or weakness, see your doctor as you may have a rotator cuff injury.
