Over the years Craig has had several yoga practitioners come into his studio with neck, shoulder and back pain. As he watched them move through vinyasa he noticed they all were making the same "mistakes" as far as proper biomechanics go. One of these clients had even had surgeries on both shoulders and continued to injure them doing his daily yoga classes.

What you first should know about the shoulder is that it will sacrifice stability for range of motion. When load (weight) is placed on the shoulder while it is out of its stabile position the shoulder can be injured. If you continually put the shoulder under pressure when it is out of its stable position you will, in time, develop pain in the shoulder. All of this weakens the rotator cuff and eventually causes injuries. This can be preventable if you understand the mechanics of the shoulder and how to keep it in a stable position while going through certain yoga posses.

The same thing can be true for the lower back. Many yoga clients end up over extending their backs while doing yoga, which can lead to lower back pain and even a herniated or bulging disc (slipped disc or throwing your back out). Many times this can be prevented by limiting your range of motion or countering the back extension (bending backwards) by engaging the abs.

To learn all about stabilizing your body when doing yoga so you can prevent neck, shoulder and lower back pain, watch Craig Zuckerman's breakdown of the proper biomechanics when doing yoga.