Guitar Pose Yoga
I have always existed in two worlds. On the one hand, it is the man who finds a rest on a yoga mat and pursues that calm mind after a day. On the other, I am a budding musician who just enjoys the unconventionality of picking up my guitar and being lost in a riff.
These were two distinct aspects of my life on the longest time. I never considered combining the two because my practice in yoga helped me to overcome the physical burden of playing hours on end. Until I learned about the idea of guitar pose yoga, a specific type of stretching and strengthening of the specific muscles that we use as a guitar player.
It is not a theory, it is a practice that has changed my playing and my well-being. Allow me to demonstrate how the combination of the two fields can work the same to you.
The reason every guitarist needs Yoga (Even You)
Let’s be real. Imagining a guitarist, you do not mostly imagine a perfect posture. We have a bent posture, one shoulder bent, neck bent to view the fret board and our picking arm is in a state of tension. I used to believe that the pain in the back and stiff fingers were also in the bargain. Two hours of practice had made me feel like I was in need of a chiropractor.
Then, I came across a case study, which made my opinion different. According to a 2018 study, published in the Journal of Hand Therapy, when specific stretching and strengthening exercises were implemented, the level of pain and range of motion of musicians with overuse injuries has significantly decreased. The researchers emphasized that repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) are extremely prevalent in instrumentalists, and the proactive approach is one of the main aspects to keep them at bay.
Guitar pose yoga comes in at that. There is no chanting or spiritualism unless you want it to be. It is of such anatomical wisdom as is practical. Yoga is a methodical means of:
Destroy the lopsided postures we take.
Ease the tension in forearms, wrists and shoulders.
Enhance blood circulation to hands and fingers.
Develop basic strength to make sitting or standing position to play.
Your Essentials Guitar Pose Yoga Flow.
The only thing you must have is not be a yoga guru to begin with. The essence of this flow is simple and it is aimed at the areas that guitarists are concerned with. It only requires five or ten minutes and a small piece of the floor. I will do this prior to playing to warm up and after playing to cool off.
In this case, to open the shoulders and chest, Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana Arms) is used.
This was a changer of my arm shoulder in fretting which was always tightened owing to raising.
The way to do it: You may sit in a cross-legged position or even sit on a chair. raise your right arm over, and then flex the elbow, falling your hand down your back. Stick up your left arm to the side, and turn your palm up, and bend the elbow, up to the left hand behind your back. Try to clasp your fingers. In case they do not fit, strap or a t-shirt.
Why it is effective with guitarists: It is a full reverse of compressing the shoulders, triceps and chest which are all areas that compress when we hold our instrument. It is a direct opposite of that hunching.
To release the Wrist and Forearm: Extended Puppy Pose.
The pose seems to direct-mail my worked-out forearms.
How to do it: Begin on your hands and knees. Pull your hands forward several inches and have your hips above your knees. When you breathing out lower your chest to the floor with the elbows raised. You can lean your forehead on the mat and stretch your arms, all the way to your armpits, to your wrists.
Why it is so effective with guitarists: It produces a marvelous, passive stretch of the flexor and extensor muscles of the forearms. This is essential in avoiding such conditions as tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.
To Spine and Posture: The Twist (Bharadvajasana).
The twists are as though you are wringing your spine after sitting and all the tension would have been squozed.
How to perform it: Sitting on the floor with straight legs. Bend your knees and you swing right on both legs to the left side such that your feet are close to your left hip. Breathing in, stretch your spine and breathing out, swivel your torso rightward. You can place right hand on right knee and right hand towards back floor.
Why it is effective among guitarists: It will flex the whole spine, which is stiff due to sitting in one position. It also promotes rotational motion in the torso which assists in breathing and general stage presence.
The Ultimate Guitar Pose: Hip and Shoulder Deep Opener.
This is my secret weapon. It is what I refer to as the Fretboard and Pick stretch, yet is simply a mixture of Thread the Needle, in the case of the shoulders and a Pigeon preposition, in the case of the hips.
How to perform it: It should be performed on your hands and knees. Bring the right arm behind the left arm with the right shoulder and temple on the ground. This is in the case of the shoulders (Thread the Needle). Here then you may step backward with your left foot, and leave the right knee in front of your body as a hip stretch. Breath (5-8 breaths) on one side and then on the other side.
Why it is very effective as a guitarist: It also deals with the cross-pattern of the body. Fascial lines connect the shoulder of the picking arm and the hip on the fretting side. Releasing them simultaneously is to produce an exponential feeling of balance and comfort.
My Ideal Real Life Results: Pain to Performance.
Prior to I making this guitar pose yoga practice my life, I was grappling with pain in my left wrist that was nagging and could hardly play at least a song using barre chords. I got angry and believed that I was not made to have hands.
The difference was too apparent only after three weeks of regular exercises (I was planning to do 10 minutes a day, yet even once every other day was beneficial). The ache in my wrist was gone. My shoulders were less clumped together along my ears. The biggest surprise? My agility and velocity increased. The chronic tension could be relieved by releasing the chronic tension and my fingers could move more freely and accurately. I felt like I had enhanced my own hardware.
It is not that simple to weave Yoga into your practice routine.
You do not have to lay out a mat an hour. The efficiency of the yoga of guitar pose is its beauty. Here’s how I integrated it:
The Pre-Play Warm-Up (3 minutes): I play about three rounds of Cat-Cow to loosen my back, and then do Cow Face arms on either side and a brief wrist stretch. It wakes my body up.
The Mid-Session Break: In case I am training long, I will place the guitar aside after every 20-30 minutes. I get on my feet, twist, and stretch my shoulders. It keeps the stiffness at bay.
The Post-Play Cooldown (5 minutes): This is something that I cannot compromise on. I take a couple of minutes in Extended Puppy Pose and some mild forward bends to free my back and arms. It indicates to my body that I have stopped practicing and now it is time to rest.
Get a Beat Down To Your Health.
Combining my passion with guitar and the curing effect of yoga was one of the most efficient choices that I have ever made regarding my music and my well-being. Guitar pose yoga is not a fad; it is an effective, efficient toolkit to any musician that desires to play longer, stronger, and with more happiness. The first and most important method is your body. Mend to it, and adjust it a bit with conscious action, and you will be wonderstruck with what you can do to it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: I’m not flexible at all. Is it possible to do yoga in the form of a guitar pose?
Absolutely! I was in the same boat. Guitar pose yoga: It is about being where your body is. Take supports such as straps and blocks, and do not push when in pain. This is not a change to hit your toes on the first day.
Q2: How long until I see results?
Consistency is key. I was a few sessions away before I felt some relief having some stiffness. In the case of more serious problems such as chronic pain, a few weeks of practice can be required. Listen to your body.
Q3: Do I require any special yoga equipment or a yoga mat?
Not at all. It is not necessary to have any special surface, just a mat should you have one. Strapping (or a neck tie or a belt) and a block (or a thick book) can be useful though not essential to begin with.
Q4: Does yoga really make me a better guitar player?
Yes, in my experience, 100%. You can achieve this by making yourself more flexible, relaxing, and enhancing posture to provide a better relaxed and more efficient physical platform to play. This has the potential to increase technique, decrease fatigue and speed.
Q5: Do I do it before I play or after playing?
Both! A brief, vigorous warm-up prior to playing warms up your muscles. The extended and calming down period that follows after playing is very important to your recovery and relieving the stress that you have during your practice.