Hi Renee. I couldn't do this one... the pose right before you go to the chair as a prop is impossible for me since my forearms don't come to the floor when I wrap hands behind my head... which makes the next step (legs on the wall) inaccessible etc. Anyways.... shoulder issues stop me there. Full wheel used to be a walk in the park for me but for I haven't been able to access it for years now due to something really tight in right clavicle/shoulder area.

Hi Elissa! Yes, people have different arm to neck ratios that can make this pose challenging as well as other poses that require balance on the forearms and head like headstand. My upper arms are actually quite a bit longer than my neck (probably the opposite of you) so I need support under my head for headstand, while it sounds like you would benefit from arm support to even out this ratio difference.

I would recommend cutting up an old yoga mat into strips that are about 4" wide by 12" long as forearm props and then stacking as many as you need until the height of your arms compared to your head allows you to keep your forearms on the floor while getting into the pose. (You can glue them or bind them with rubber bands so they don't slide apart as you get into this particular pose.)

In terms of wheel- have you tried using props under your hands? In this video I have the chair under my feet to help with lower back flexibility, but if you placed blocks at a slant between the floor and the wall it will allow increased capacity for your shoulders. Here is a picture I found on the web that describes this set-up
http://www.fivepointsyoga.co m/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Wheel- Pose-blocks-under-hands-300x225.jpg

I hope that helps! Let me know. - R