Avoid the dreaded zig zag in Trikonasana, it could hurt your shoulders
The Dreaded Zig-Zag strikes whenever Bob does the Utthita Trikonasana pose.
What is the Dreaded Zig-Zag?
Yes, Bob’s right arm is coming straight up from his big toe. But with his shoulders almost parallel to the floor, he still points to the ceiling with his left arm.
This is the Dreaded Zig-Zag. This arrangement of the arms and shoulders will result in injury to Bob’s shoulders.
There is a very simple change that can be made in how Bob is doing Utthita Trikonasana that will protect his shoulders and get rid of the Dreaded Zig-Zag.
What is Utthita Triklonasana
Utthita Trikonasana is a standing postures that is part of the standing series of postures practiced in Ashtanga Yoga. There are many benefits to practicing this pose including:
- Stretches the hips, groins, hamstrings, and calves; shoulders, chest, and spine
- Stretches and strengthens the thighs, knees, and ankles and stimulates the abdominal organs
- Helps to relieve stress, improve digestion and helps to relieve the symptoms of menopause
- It also relieves backache, especially through second trimester of pregnancy
How to do Uthita Trikonasana
No zig zap in the shoulders here.
You start at the front of your mat standing in Tadasana with your big toes touching and a gap at your heels. From here you
— Exhale and step out to the right with your feet about a leg length apart.
— Turn your right foot to point towards the end of the mat.
— Turn your left foot to point towards the side of the mat and then slightly towards your right foot.
— The heel of the front foot should line up with the heel of the back foot.
— Turn your hips and body to face your right leg.
— Tip your hips forward and down and reach down and put your right hand on your shin. Eventually you will grab your big toe.
— Turn your shoulders one above the other and lift your left arm up and point towards the ceiling.
— Turn your head and look at your left hand.
— Hold here for several breaths then you lift up on an inhale and do the pose with the other leg in front.
Now that you have seen how to do the pose let’s have a look at how the Dreaded Zig-Zag happens.
How is your shoulder at risk in this pose
The dreaded zig zap affect.
When you have the proper alignment in Utthita Trikonasana your shoulders are one above the other and your upper arm is pointing to the ceiling. There is a straight line from your lower arm that is holding your shin or toe through your two shoulders, all the way up your upper arm to your hand.
There is no Dreaded Zig-Zag in Uthita Trikonasana when you have the proper alignment.
The Dreaded Zig-Zag happens when your shoulders can not get into the correct alignment. They are not stacked one above the other. Even though the shoulders are not one above the other you still bring your left arm up and you point it to the ceiling.
This movement with the arm pointing to the ceiling and the shoulders parallel to the floor results in stressful lengthening to the muscles in the front of the shoulder and a great deal of compression to the muscles in the back of the shoulder. The Dreaded Zig-Zag has struck and your shoulders will be complaining as a result.
Why is this a problem
Although you are practicing yoga to stretch your muscles, there are good stretches and bad stretches. This particular stretch to the shoulder is a bad stretch. The muscles at the front of the shoulder are getting stretched too much and the muscles at the back of the shoulder and in the upper back and neck area are getting compressed too much.
This improper alignment is due to a lack of flexibility in your back muscles. This lack of flexibility prevents your back from twisting enough to allow the shoulders to get one above the other.
How to protect your shoulder
To protect your shoulder, keep your arm in line with your shoulders.
There is a very simple change you can make in this posture to protect your shoulders. Rather than point your upper arm towards the ceiling you point it in a different direction.
In the regular pose your two arms and your two shoulders are all in a straight line, but when your back muscles are not flexible enough your shoulders will not get into the proper alignment.
When your shoulders are not stacked one above the other then you extend your arm out to the side such that there is a straight line from your two shoulders through your upper arm to your hand. You will not be pointing straight up to the ceiling but your arm will be lined up with your two shoulders. When you get your arm in this alignment the stress to the shoulder muscles is removed and the Dreaded Zig-Zag is gone.
What can I do to make my back muscles more flexible?
Your teacher can give you a gentle assist that will bring your upper shoulder a little closer to the proper alignment. The best thing you can do when you are on your own is to get your upper arm in line with your two shoulders and then work to take your upper shoulder back a little more above the other shoulder.
The most common mistake
When people attempt to get their shoulders one above the other in Uthita Trikonasana they make a common mistake. They attempt to get their upper shoulder to go further back above their lower shoulder by moving their arm further back. It is as if the upper arm is pulling the shoulder back. This is incorrect.
The Dreaded Zig-Zag has returned. This movement will result in stress and injury to their shoulder muscles. To avoid this injury they should focus on moving their upper shoulder itself back further and always keep their upper arm in line with their two shoulders.
Summary
Protect your shoulders in Uthita Trikonasana by always keeping your upper arm in line with your two shoulders. Do this and the Dreaded Zig-Zag will stay away.
Next Steps
If your shoulders are not one above the other in this pose work with your teacher to get your arm in the proper alignment and to protect your shoulder muscles.
