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| Asana Analysis: Fish Pose/Matsyasana |
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by Lisa B. Minn, PT - April 18, 2011
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Last week, I talked about the importance of keeping your shoulders pain-free. One important aspect of healthy shoulder function is muscle balance of the the shoulder girdle. We all tend to have tight chest muscles and weak scapular muscles, which not only reinforces poor posture but also stresses the shoulder joint by compressing the rotator cuff tendons, bursa, and cartilage that lines the joint. Fish pose is a great ‘chest opener’ that stretches the front body while strengthening the scapular muscles.
In order to have full range of motion for reaching overhead, we must have good mobility in the glenohumeral joint (ball and socket), the shoulder blade needs to be able to slide upward and out, and the upper thoracic spine must move to allow the last few degrees of our reach. If the thoracic spine is stiff, especially if it is stuck in a rounded shape, we can’t reach as high nor can we reach in a limited range without pinching the top of our shoulders. Fish is an excellent pose for improving thoracic extension and mobility.
Other purported benefits of Matsyasana include improved energy, stimulation of the 4th and 5th chakras (plexus of heart and throat), enhanced circulation to the thyroid gland, improved digestion, increased lung capacity, etc. In fact Matsyasana has been called "the destroyer of all diseases."
Muscles Stretched: Anterior neck muscles (scalenes, sternocleidomastoid, hyoids), pectoralis major and minor, anterior deltoids, coracobrachialis, serratus anterior, anterior intercostals, rectus abdominis, obliques.
Muscles Strengthened: Posterior deltoids, latissimus dorsi, middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids, subscapularis, spinal extensor muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings. The anterior and core muscles of the neck when transitioning in and out of the pose.
Points of Body Awareness:
*Ground the legs. Reach out through the heels, press the backs of the thighs down and draw the kneecaps up.
*Press down through the shoulders to lift the heart.
*Is the head resting comfortably on the floor? If not, place a block, folded towel or blanket under the head.
*Is there any pain or discomfort in the back or neck? If there is, come out of the pose and try again with more sense of lifting and lengthening throughout the spine, in the back of the body as well as the front. Or try a supported variation of the pose.
*Allow energy to flow freely through the heart and throat.
*Feel the lungs expanding with each inhalation.
*Take 5 to 10 slow, deep breaths.
To Modify:
If the neck is stiff or hurting, if you want a less stimulating backbend, or if you want to hold the pose longer, try a supported version of Fish. Two possibilities are pictured below:
PT Notes:
A restorative version of Fish pose can be very therapeutic for patients with neck and shoulder problems. The unsupported version is likely beyond the scope of usual care in the clinic unless your patient is someone who has been practicing this pose and has developed some problems with it. Yoga students may hyperextend through the neck to compensate for thoracic stiffness.
If a patient or client does have complaints of neck pain associated with this pose, be sure to assess cervical and thoracic range of motion. Note any ‘hinging’ in the mid-cervical spine, which is an indication a compensatory use of hypermobile joints. Also be sure to assess the strength of the deep cervical flexor muscles (longus coli and capitus) and dynamic stability of the neck when moving into and out of full extension vs. gravity.
Contraindications for the traditional version of Fish pose include neck pain, cervical stenosis, radiculopathy, hypertension,vertigo, acute to subacute whiplash, vertebral artery syndrome.
Opening image from My Yoga Online. Modified Fish images from Downward Facing Blog and Yoga Moo.
Lisa Minn is a licensed physical therapist and yoga enthusiast. She has been incorporating aspects of Yoga and Pilates into her physical therapy practice since 2001 and became a certified yoga instructor in 2004. Her experience ranges from working with athletes at West Point and Georgetown to instructing elderly and wheelchair-bound clients in the fundamentals of Hatha Yoga. Lisa has conducted several lectures and workshops across the US, as well as in Honduras and Peru, where she volunteered her services. She currently resides and practices in Northern California. This and other articles by Lisa can be found at The Pragmatic Yogi.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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| sfauthor (New York) |
on 23 Apr 2011 at 9:13 pm |
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Nice posting. Do you know about these yoga books?
http://www.yogavidya.com/freepdfs.html |
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