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Yin/Yang Yoga for the Shoulders and Upper Back
670 Followers
The yin comes before the yang in this wonderful, heart-opening, shoulder-releasing and back pain-relieving yin/yang yoga class. Sarah-Jane helps you ease into a series of intense yin poses to release the shoulders first, then moves you through a flow that deepens shoulder openers before you lie down to relax in savasana. Note: you need a bolster, pillow or folded blanket for this class.
Comments
Hi Sarah. I find your class difficult to follow because you're not clear on directions - left and right. I also find it difficult to follow because you talk a lot by giving a lot of options. Most of your options are for advanced yoga, so it's really not necessary to give all these intermediate and advanced position options in this beginner class. I think it would be a lot more enjoyable without so much talking, so that we can concentrate more on the yoga instead of your voice.
However, all the work I've put into learning to do your class has paid off in spades. I had bilateral breast cancer that was treated with surgery on both breasts and both axilla (armpits) three years ago. This has left me with a lifetime risk of lymphadenopathy (so I need preventative treatment for this), as well as decreased range of motion of my arms. I also had radiation therapy to both breasts 2-1/2 years ago that has resulted in fibrosis of all the soft tissue of my chest wall. This has also led to decreased range of motion. So my medical team suggested many exercises, many of which I found in this practice of yours. So I've been doing your practice 2-3 times a week for a month, and I cannot tell you what an incredible difference this has made in decreasing the pain and increasing my range of motion. I will continue doing this practice faithfully in the hopes of even more improvement. Thank you for your kind help, from the bottom of my heart.
I have done yoga off and on for over 10 years, but this is definitely one of my favorite classes. The class is as challenging as you want to make it, and none of the moves are foreign if you frequent a yoga studio. However, the way she ties them all together was a great way to open up the neck and strengthen the back.
This class was much more difficult than I expected, even though I've been practicing yoga for 30 years. I appreciate a challenge, but I am wary of overdoing it on my shoulders. These are poses that I would rather do in a class first, where I can make sure that I am supporting my body correctly to avoid injury. I'm not sure I would classify this class as a beginner class. That said, it is one that I would return to if I was certain that I was doing the poses safely.
Another good class thank you. However I would have preferred as a beginner for the pace to be a bit slower to allow time for adjusting into positions. Hopefully as I practise more this will be easier.