This week’s question:

Dear Gotta Joga,

I have a question regarding the stretching of shoulders and arms:

When in child’s pose with extended arms, I have pain from the stretching in my armpits and the right and left sides above my shoulders. Even though I am practicing yoga for more than an year now, this tenseness comes back every now and then after a day at work (by my desk) or after a long walk or a run. I feel the stretching strongly also in downward facing dog and melting heart (puppy pose). Do you have hints for me with which exercises I could stretch my shoulders?

The answer:

Dear Sandra.

Thank you for your question !

For most of us, the shoulder area is the stiffest area in our bodies . That is due the high amount of time spent seated. It sounds like you are working in an office? If that is the case, here are some shoulder opening exercises you can do even at work:

 

 

 

 

 

1. 1. Seated or standing, cross your fingers behind your back. Bend your elbows. Inhale, straighten your spine. Exhale, roll your shoulders back, and lift your sternum and chin up. Keep your shoulder blades on your back, elbows bent and slowly move your hands away from your body behind your back. Breathe and stay for 5 breathes.

 

2. Seated or standing, lift your arms above your head. With your right hand grab your left wrist. Inhale, stretch your spine and side bodies long. Exhale, roll your shoulders back and lean to your right side. Lengthen the left side body. Remember to keep your chin up. It should not drop to your chest. Breathe 2 breathes in the lateral bend. With an exhale, come back to center. Repeat twice / each side.

Always try to pay attention that you relax your shoulders as much as possible during the exercises. You can do the poses several time a day to relief the tension in the shoulders and relax them. You can also do these little exercises during jogging or walking and especially afterwards. While working, walking or jogging, it is worth paying attention to your posture. Are your unconsciously clamping your shoulders? Are you pulling them up to your ears are are they falling forward? Think about it every once in a while to keep your spine long, rolling your shoulders back and lifting your sternum up.

 

 

At home: If you have 2 yoga blocks available, you can use them as an aid:

Place the yoga blocks on your mat flat, close to one end of the mat. Put them close to each other so that the one which is closer to the short edge of the mat has its longer side parallel to the short edge of the mat and the 2nd one is placed lengthwise on the mat. Then lay yourself on the mat on top of the yoga blocks. The block which is lengthwise comes in between your shoulder blades. The one which is diagonally comes underneath your head.

Your shoulder blades are on the upper end of your back. Take your time to find the right position. Place your feet on the mat, lean on your elbows and then lay your upper back on the block. After laying your head on the 2nd block you can spread your arms on the side and turn the palms toward the ceiling. Your feet can stay on the mat or you can straighten your legs forward. Your pelvis is on the floor.

If you never tried this before, it can feel strange in the beginning. And, in case you have a lot of tension in your shoulders, the position may not feel very comfortable. However, try to stay in it for one minute by breathing consciously in and out through the nose. After some time, you can start staying longer on the 2 blocks.

Do this exercise 3 time per week.

The next question is: how ofter do your practice? If you have a job where you need to sit for long times, once a week is not enough to release the shoulders. 3 times a week would be good and 5 times ideal. It doesn’t have to be one hour at a time.  10 minutes is already good.

 

 

 

Child’s pose pose with extended arms as well as the downward facing dog are really good exercises for opening the shoulders. Continue doing them as well. Pay attention that you are not hanging in your shoulder joints.  That means that you need to lift your upper arms and armpits always away from the floor. That way you stabilize your joints and the muscles around them are allowed to stretch.

It is always a good idea to visit a real live yoga class , in case there is a studio close to you. When a yoga teacher sees you and your practice, (s)he can help you better.

Thank you for practicing with Gotta Joga!

 

Anu Visuri, yoga teacher and co-founder of Gotta Joga

Certified Anusara® yoga teacher registered with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500 & YACEP).