When one of my beginning students started having severe neck pain, I became alarmed. He’s been regularly practicing with us without pain in the same gentle postures for months. I didn’t want to scare him or any of the others in attendance with my knowledge that pain in the left side of the neck up to the jaw could relate to potential heart attack.
Regularly checking in with him during class to ensure that he was not in an emergency situation, and giving him alternative postures worked well enough. He concluded class with us, reporting some general improvements from his experience. I share this now in gratitude that all ended well this time and with a desire to remind us that left side arm/neck/jaw pain can indicate a need for medical attention.
Are you aware of many signs of heart attack? Do you know how to navigate those symptoms without becoming an alarmist? Ki to Happiness knows her limitations as a non medical holistic counselor and yoga teacher.