Practicing yoga, we all know the importance of shoulder flexibility! When your shoulders are open, your cervical spine will be healthy! When the shoulders are open, the body will be more upright and more graceful!
The bye style and backbends are ideal for opening the shoulders. However, if your shoulders and upper body are particularly tight, some static stretching can be more effective. The following five moves are great.
Puppy stretch
Start in baby pose with your hips above your heels and your arms sliding forward. Relax your shoulders. Hold a few even breaths, then return to baby pose.
Bunny pose
This shoulder stretch will reduce the tension built up in the lower back during the puppy stretch.
With your hands on the mat, lower your head and cross your fingers. Keep your elbows close to your ears and your forearms on the mat. Inhale and lift your hips above your knees, resting your weight on your forearms and allowing your arms to support you. Hold for a few breaths to spread your entire back, then exhale back into baby pose.
Shoulder rotation
Yoga straps, scarves and towels are the best aids, remember to move comfortably within your natural range of motion.
Sitting or standing in mountain pose. Grasp the yoga strap at a distance wider than shoulder width. Inhale and lift the strap above your head, continuing into the space above and behind your head, staying here for a few moments, then exhale and bring the yoga back to your front. Hold for a few breaths as the spine maintains its alignment in mountain pose.
Next, slightly release your grip on the yoga strap in order to lift your arms on the inhale and place them behind you on the exhale. Continue the cycle, moving slowly with your breath: Inhale, up; exhale, down.
Pushing wall stretch for shoulders
The pushing wall stretch mimics the downward dog arm position without the wrists bearing weight. As well as stretching the shoulders, it stretches the hamstrings and relaxes the back.
Lean your hands against the wall with fingers spread out and elbows facing each other on the inside. Walk backwards, sliding your arms down the wall until your body is at 90 degrees. Keep your legs in mountain pose alignment with your hips above your knees and your upper body balanced and extended.
Compact the wall to straighten your arms, place your head between your upper arms and gaze at the floor. From this position you will see how rotating the upper arms changes the sensation in the shoulders and upper back. Find a comfortable stretch in a neutral shoulder position and keep breathing evenly.
Shoulder stretch against a wall
Walls are great support to work deeper around the shoulder joint.
Place the outside of your right foot close to the wall and extend your right arm to the three o'clock position with your arm behind you. Place your palm flat against the wall with your thumb up and your little finger down. Slowly approach the wall until you reach the edge of a comfortable stretch, keeping your breath even.
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Next, lift your heels and place your arms at the twelve o'clock position, which is above your head. Slide your hands back to 1 o'clock again and slowly lower your heels while resting your hands on the wall. This will be a tough process, so don't go beyond the edge of the stretch limit. Remember to practice both sides and try different arm positions to find the different sensations of stretching in different positions.
In addition to the above movements, we have also collected 9 sets of very practical shoulder opening sequences for you to practice!
set 1
set 2
set 3
set 4
set 5
set 6
Set 7
Set 8
set 9
Set 10
