Shaky legs

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi,

I’m a 28-year-old women in good physical condition. I practice capoeira pretty intensively 3 times a week for an hour to an hour and a half. I also do yoga about once a week for 30 minutes on my own, and once a week I go to an hour-long class. Today we had a fairly intense class and my legs were shaking the whole time, including when doing poses that habitually I find easy and comfortable. Since my legs were shaking so much, I tried not to push it at all, because I found this strange. I had to leave right after class and the instructor was busy talking to another student, so I didn’t bother to ask him…though I will ask the next time I go.

The only thing I can think of is that I have been a bit anxious for the past week, so my muscles have been tenser than normal. But even so, I’ve been practicing yoga for 2 years now and never had anything like that happen.

Any ideas?

Thank you,
Mae

#2

Hello Mae,

I’ll direct you to a reply to a similar question in Yoga Journal to which my teacher responded. It is a brief but focused response and should provide you with some light assuming you read to it’s end.

#3

Thanks for posting that, InnerAthlete!

#4

So it could be over-worked muscles, which is likely, or a subtle body alignment…or a chakra awakening…but I wouldn’t know how to tell that…that’s a bit esoteric for my understanding. But interesting article. Thanks.

#5

Well your OP asked for “any ideas” and now you’ve got three more than you had - which doesn’t seem esoteric to me in the least.

It’s not possible to tell a student what is going on for them without margin. This is especially so when we are not working directly with a student but trying to ascertain something of them over the internet.

In cases like this I advise students to begin by evaluating if they are over-working their muscles and then pulling back on the reigns of that over-working. Of course I’m an alignment-based teacher so my students typically do not want for such things in their asana practice as they are already getting it.

You can, of course flip-flop the approach and have a teacher look at your alignment and continue to over-work your muscles. If the alignment is helpful then you know. If it is not then combine it with muscular “backing off”.

I would not concern yourself over a subtle chakra issue. That was targeted to the student who asked about it directly in order to meet her needs.