Yoga???????

Does yoga help you gain muscle mass? And also, my neck has become very sore since beinning yoga, am I doing something wrong? We do a lot of the up and dog dog position and it seems to really strain my neck.|||Good advice from the others.


You won%26#039;t bulk up in yoga, but you will gain strength and find yourself getting a %26quot;hardbody%26quot; if you keep at it long enough.





Ask your instructor to help you determine what you are doing during the poses that is putting strain on your neck. My suspicion is that you may be %26quot;hunching%26quot; your shoulders. Try standing in mountain pose (standing straight with arms down at the sides) and slide your shoulders BACK and DOWN. Feel the shoulder blades slide DOWN your back. This is where they should be in down dog and up dog. When you go into up dog, conciously pull your shoulders back and down, feeling the blades slide down your back. Do the same in down dog. It may be difficult at first, but as you gain muscle memory and get used to the unfamiliar movement, you will eventually get to where you do it in every pose. Always slide the shoulder blades down the back in any pose, even those such as triangle (trikanasana). This will protect you from injury and help build strength in the muscles that SHOULD be working in the poses, and will take the stress off your neck. Also, never force a pose or position that causes you pain. A little challenge to the muscles is fine, but if it hurts, back off a bit or come out of the position if it is actually painful and ask your instructor for a modification until you can move into the pose more fully.


Good luck!





A good website for yoga poses: http://www.yogajournal.com|||Yoga aids flexibility and can have some affect on strength (on the level of light weights/push ups). To gain muscle mass you will need to add in some more intense weight training.





There really shouldn%26#039;t be strain in your neck in either the down dog or up dog position; your neck should be relaxed. Are you in a yoga class? If so, talk to your instructor; you may be doing the position incorrectly causing the neck strain. I suspect you are either forcing the positions or are not relaxing enough during yoga; there should not be any pain in the forms.





Good Luck!|||Yes, it does help you gain muscle mass.





Maybe you are. Try consulting the teacher about this and maybe she can point out what you%26#039;re doing wrong.





If that pose is straining your neck, try NOT to do it until your neck feels alright. If you want to, don%26#039;t apply so much pressure while doing the pose. : )|||If your neck hurts, you have blockages and should keep doing the pose that makes it hurt. If you keep practicing the pose it won%26#039;t hurt as much. Blockages are back and stretching helps get rid of them. I do yoga and I know from experience.