Some Words About Shoulder StretchesEven birds instinctively do shoulder stretches. OK, so I can't speak for all birds, but my chickens do. They started as babies. It's the most amazing thing to watch - every so often they stop, stand to one side, lift their beaks to the sky and stretch. One wing and one chickeny leg at a time, out and back, spreading their feathers - like all creatures, they are intuitively guided to explore the very edges of themselves. Shoulder stretches are likely a regular part of your daily life as well. But the truth is, most of the stretches we perform distractedly at work, or before exercise, only scratch the surface of what the body needs. If you sit at a desk, work at a computer or drawing board, nurse or cradle an infant, or spend a lot time in your car, you may have set the stage for posture-related shoulder pain. And it's not just the shoulders that are affected. Neck pain, headache, even carpel tunnel-type symptoms can be related to the way we hold and move the shoulders. Habits we have picked up during the activities of our days. But there is hope. Keeping these three steps in mind while you work and exercise can begin shift those habits and help you and your body to feel free again. Shoulder Stretches in Three Steps#1. Back upWe humans are conditioned to be always moving forward, both physically and psychologically. Think about it - we lean ahead as we walk, listen and look at things, curling around the efforts and intentions of our minds. In yoga philosophy we are encouraged to "cultivate the opposite" when we want to change patterns in our daily life, and that absolutely applies to posture-related pain.Your shoulder blades are like your wings - keep them connected by taking the heads of your arm bones toward your back. If you work at a desk, lean back in your chair every so often, clasping your hands behind you (if they don't touch, hold a towell between them) and lifting your heart. Try to keep you head from hanging forward heavily on your neck - Now and then, look up and back instead of forward and down. If you need something on the shelf behind you, try reaching back to retrieve it. #2. Catch Some airBelieve it or not, one of the key principles to shoulder happiness is cultivating a deeper breath. Of course, it's a bit of a catch twenty two - the same tight muscles across the chest that pull the shoulders forward also inhibit the fullness of the inhale. It can be helpful to open those a little. While standing up or even sitting at your desk, reach your hands for the sky. Interlace your fingers and turn your palms upward for and extra sweet push, reach to right and reach to the left to open and invigorate the major muscles of the trunk.Then, practice filling yourself to capacity with your breath. Imagine you are filling yourself as you would a container of water - from the bottom to the top, allowing time for it to find and seep into any crevices along the way. Fill the spaces in the sides of your waist, and in the back. Do you know that the upper lungs extend all the way up to your collarbones? Be sure and fill up there, too. #3. Spread Your WingsOne of the biggest contributors to less than optimal health is a failure to fully experience our bodies. Even in the simplest ways. Spread you arms out to the sides now and then. Draw circles in the air with both hands, exploring their full capacity of movement. Keep your muscles engaged and your breath full and steady as you move.Do this with awareness - relish it! Move out to your edges, with your actions, and also with your mind. You may discover that those edges will begin to give a little. Broadening your range of movement can feel like bringing the sky inside - you might just decide to take flight!
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