I have extremely tight shoulders – can anyone else relate to this? In the past it was boxing that made my shoulders so tight and today it’s being a mother. I find that at every stage in life it’s the one area in my body that always gets tight. In yoga, If you have tight shoulders it can be very hard (even painful) to do poses that require a certain amount of openness in the shoulders (ie. handstand). In life, if you have tightness in the shoulders it can lead to tightness in the neck and back causing discomfort and sometimes pain. So how do we keep our shoulders open? You can either sit or stand for this pose – it is one of the simplest poses to do and I promise if you do it daily you will find relief!
Shoulder/Chest Opener
• Take a strap (or neck tie, belt, broomstick,etc.) and hold it in your hands (wider than the width of your shoulders) in front of your body
• Palms facing your body, inhale and move your arms up over head
• *On the exhale move the arms further behind your head towards your buttocks (arms must stay straight)
• Repeat 10+ times
* On the exhale is when you will find out how tight your shoulders really are – be sure to move your hands further away from each other on the belt to accommodate for your tightness.
This pose helps to open up both the shoulders and chest. Over time, your hands will move closer and closer together; immediately, you will feel some relief. If you try this pose let me know what you thought about it via a comment below. Take some weight off your shoulders!
For more information on all things yoga visit www.yogaontheflow.com or follow @YogaOnTheFlow on twitter.
Namaste
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