John! Nice to hear from you! Dolphin is a tough pose. It is different than headstand in that it requires much more mobility from the shoulders and upper spine. Usually I see folks having trouble lifting the leg because of either flexibility issues or because they aren't familiar with lifting from hamstrings an glutes. If you have a wall to practice against, set up the pose on elbows and knees about 6 inches from the wall. Then lift up to dolphin, take one of the legs/feet up the wall and use to help work on straightening and lifting the leg. Let me know if that helps.

I just finished Day 14, I love it but, placing my hands and forearms around the block for Dolphin pose strains and causes pain to the front of my left shoulder. Is it OK for me to point the left elbow out? That seems to relieve that pain. 

Hi Shauna R! Good to hear from you. Yes it is perfectly fine to point the elbow out. It is possible that you are over extending the shoulder joint. Sometimes I see students overdoing the motion in the shoulder and forgetting about the motion needed in the thoracic area. Just like the elbow joint, the shoulder has a bony limit so when you feel a pain there it’s a signal to ease off at that area and explore other areas close by for motion that may be hiding ;) 

I'm loving these power practices! I hold a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders and find this so relieving. Your cues have given me more freedom in downward dog, and today I popped up into that wheel pose with the least effort I've ever felt. I think I've been holding my arms too close to my head, and the pre opening really helped. For some reason, my right shoulder pops everyday in my first down dog. I wonder if I sleep on it strangely? Also, I find that I tend to start gripping my neck muscles in some of the shoulder opening poses and found myself feeling nauseous in the gomukasana arms. Any thoughts?

Rosanna S, thanks for sharing your experiences in these poses. I’d be happy to take a deeper look into the shoulder troubles. What are the poses and actions that seem to be giving you trouble? As for gomukasana, my only thought at this point would be that you’re overdoing the shoulder stretch and cutting off blood flow through those arteries. Or you’re rub-jutting and that may also be constricting the large arteries in the trunk. 

Bridget! Sorry for the late response. Yes, this is a common question I get. The best answer depends on what’s happening. Is it a structural issue that’s limiting the move or a mechanical understanding that needs adjusting? If it’s structural such that either your natural flexibility or bone and body design make it difficult to move into a lunge from dog pose, then using blocks under the hands is a great solution. If it’s more of a mechanical issue, I usually tell students to really lift up the back foot heel and raise the hip and lift the core area (think cat pose for the spine). Then with that lift in place the leg has much more room to transfer. Let me know if this was helpful or if you have any other questions. 🙏

The lifting of the heal and raising my hips and core really made a difference. I still need to work on it a bit but, your description really helped me have a better understanding of that transition. Thanks for your clarity and instruction!

Nathan, what should I do to help get my hands flat on the ground over my head as a start to pushing upward on the wheel?   I really appreciate that we're doing many things to try to prepare for the wheel - all the strengthening and opening - but I feel like I'm not even at square zero when I can't flatten my hands against the ground over my head.  It's actually better than it used to be, during today's practice I got about half my hand pressed down, but still not enough surface area to actually push up.    Thanks much for whatever help you can provide.  

Hi Anita B! The wheel has so many places where it can trip us up. Hand placement is a big one. Here is an alternative hand placement that can be very useful. The thumb and index finger are touching the floor and the palm is against the wall. Push your thumb and index finger down into the corner of the wall/floor as you try to press up. Keep your head close to the wall. Let me know how that works for you :)