Does burning or shaking during a yoga pose mean that "good things/change is happening"? I was recently told that this is a common idea in the yoga world, but I honestly have never heard it before. Now that I have heard it, here's my two cents on the topic.
FEEL
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Like most things in life there is much more gray than there is black and white. The first question that comes to mind is, "How much burning or shaking are you talking about?" The burning feeling in your muscles during a physical activity is commonly explained by the production of lactic acid in the working muscles. Just like how a car spits out exhaust when it burns fuel, when a muscle burns up fuel there is also a byproduct. That byproduct is lactic acid (actually lactate and hydrogen ions). Acid burns, and that's what you feel! But no worries, your body gets rid of that acid pretty quickly by carrying it away through the blood. That's why the burn stops relatively quickly after you stop doing that deep utkatasana (chair pose). The big muscles that move our bodies create lactic acid because they are mostly made out of type II or fast twitch muscle fibers. Type II fibers move quickly so they need to have fast bursts of energy. To get this quick energy, they use a process called anaerobic glycolysis. This means they burn up glucose (a primary energy source) without using oxygen which is a faster than other energy making processes. Unfortunately, this process creates lactic acid and the resulting burn that you feel. So, if you feel a burn that gradually increases as you are doing a pose, that means those burning muscles are at work and creating lactic acid, assuming that the burning is not from an injury which leads us back to my question... "How much burning or shaking is there?"
That's what I SAID!
Some burning or shaking can tell us that we are making a muscle work, and that work will indeed cause good change. The human body has an awesome built-in ability to adapt. Adaptation is the principle that we use to get stronger, gain more flexibility and build more endurance in our asana practices. Trainers use a principle called SAID which stands for Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands. This simply means that your body adjusts to what you regularly ask it to do. When you challenge yourself with a yoga pose (or other activity) that causes a little burn, it means that your body does not quite have the ability to handle that pose optimally, so it will decide to adapt. This means that the muscles involved will eventually get more efficient by storing more energy, getting bigger, developing more blood flow, etc. to let you better handle that pose. As your body increases the circulation to that burning muscle, it will be able to flush out that lactic acid faster and the burn will not happen as quickly anymore. The shakiness will decrease as those muscle cells increase endurance and get stronger. If the pose doesn't create a little burn or shake, then your muscles are probably very capable of handling it, and your body will not need to make any changes. So, yes, some burning and shaking can mean that "good things/change" is happening, or will happen at least.
However, there is a point when a challenge can be overwhelming to your muscles or body. Hans Selye describes the different stages of adaptation. He goes on to describe in great detail what these stages are, but the take home message is that a sufficient amount of challenge will encourage your body to adapt to handle that challenge. Too much challenge will lead to exhaustion and/or injury. It sounds like common sense, but if you challenge yourself in a pose to the point where your tissues cannot handle it, an injury will occur, and that burning could then come from substantial damage to your muscles. As always, if you have any doubt about burning or pain that you are feeling, consult a qualified health care practitioner. What about the shaking? Some shaking during a pose means that the muscles you are using are starting to tire out or that you have a difficult time controlling those muscles. If you overly challenge these shaking muscles, your body may start using other muscles to hold you in that pose. This is called a compensation, and your body will use this strategy to take the work away from muscles that can't handle what you're asking them to do. As a result, muscles that are not designed to do the pose will be used and possibly get tight, sore or even injured from overuse. Also, the muscles that you were trying to use to begin with will stay weak because they are not getting worked. Again, too much challenge will lead to exhaustion or injury. So, in your yoga practice, find balance (pun intended). Challenge yourself, but still have compassion for your body. After all, challenges are what help us grow!
Namasté
Namasté
General Adaptation Syndrome graphic image from www.sports-training-adviser.com.
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