YYoga

"If the head is sitting too far forward, as can become habitual when we are sitting in front of a computer or driving for extended periods of time, then the muscles on the sides of the neck (trapezius muscles) have to work harder to hold the head in place."

Releasing Shoulder Tension

The Breath

When unwinding any part of the body, the breath is always a good place to start. The mind state is also notably important, as the type of thoughts we are having can trigger stress responses or help to dissipate them.  

A healthy mind can be cultivated by deepening our relationship to our breath and body.

Tension in muscular tissue can be dramatically improved by increasing circulation to that area of the body.  Whether you are sitting or standing, you can perform a quick review of your upper body while it gives you feed back as to how to proceed with your asana practice. Sitting or standing tall, feel your body. Note where the breath is flowing.  Try taking a few deep breaths right now:  do you notice that your chest is lifting when you inhale? Are your ribs moving out to the side? Is your breath moving equally into the front back and sides of your rib cage?  What else do you notice about your body’s response to your breath?

Working with a partner can be very helpful in this exercise to acquire some proprioceptive feedback.   Alternately, place your own hands around your ribs with thumbs on your back ribs and fingers on your front ribs.

Have your partner sit/stand behind you and place their hands lightly on the back and sides of your ribs (around your mid back). Inhale and feel your ribs moving their hands apart and out to the sides.  Notice your breath expanding first your into your lower ribs and then up into the back of your heart.  This type of breathing helps to stretch and massage the intercostal muscles between the ribs and create more circulation under the shoulder blades.  It also helps to work towards using your full lung capacity.  As a secondary step to this exercise, have your partner monitor and give you feed back about the balance of your in breath. Noting that when in balance, the ribs open evenly and simultaneously on the right and left sides.

Simply setting aside five to twenty minutes a day to sit and practice this breathing can dramatically reduce upper neck and shoulder tension.

Physical Asana Practice

When tension is present in the body it can add to our stress and inhibit our mobility in our daily activities.  Asana practice (practice of yoga postures) is another tool that is helpful in releasing and preventing muscular tension.

When looking at the shoulders, we are observing what is referred to in anatomy as the shoulder girdle.  This is because there is no ball and socket joint in this area of the body.  As a result, the group of muscles and tendons work together to hold the bones in place.  If a few of the muscles in this group are weak and tight, then others take over resulting in an imbalance often accompanied by pain or tension.  

The most common reasons for shoulder tension that my students have presented are:

• tension in the chest (shortened pectoral muscles)
• weakness in the muscles of the upper back
• misalignment of the head over the body (leaning forward in space),
• tension in the side body (Latissimus dorsi muscles and intercostals)
• shallow breathing    

When the chest is tight, it often pulls the arm bones forward causing the muscles of the back and to become weak and over stretched.  This is also a more difficult position in which to breathe fully into your ribs and lungs.  If the head is sitting too far forward, as can become habitual when we are sitting in front of a computer or driving for extended periods of time, then the muscles on the sides of the neck (trapezius muscles) have to work harder to hold the head in place.

By aligning the chin over the heart and lifting the heart we can improve posture and mood as the breath can more easily move up into the chest, massaging and balancing the thymus and thyroid glands.

Mountain pose, Tadasana, can be a great posture to explore and get to know your particular alignment.  

Standing, take a look down at your feet.  Begin by stacking your bones; start with the inside edges of the feet parallel to one another, press down into your feet to stand tall.  Close your eyes and feel your knees over your ankles, with hips over your knees.  From here continue to press down through your feet to lift up through your heart.  Notice your heart over your hips and your head over your heart. (This may feel at first like you are tucking your chin slightly and lifting up through the tops of your ears.) 

Observe the alignment of your shoulders by noticing how your arms are hanging.  Now gently squeeze the tips of your shoulder blades together until you feel your collarbones (clavicles) spreading.  With your chin still over your chest breathe up into the front and back of your heart.   After a few moments begin scanning from your feet to your head as you breathe.  Notice what you feel in your body. 

Lastly, we’ll explore twisting or rotation in the upper torso.  The muscles may be where you are feeling the tension, however the structural alignment and mobility in your spine is a potential contributing factor.

Stand tall, incorporating the postural alignment of Tadasana we’ve just explored. Open your arms level to your shoulders, reach out through your fingers and keep your hips facing directly in front of you. Spinning from your belly, turn your heart to the right. This movement explores the rotation (twist) through the upper back. Notice if you feel stretching or resistance in any of your muscles and breathe into it. Try the other side.

Salabhasana is an accessible back bending pose that can serve to strengthen the back and open the chest. 

Start lying on your stomach. Relax your body, have your feet hip distance apart and your hands palms facing up along side your body. 

Notice the weight of both your hipbones and your pubic bone resting on the ground evenly.  Keeping your toes on the mat, gently press them down until your kneecaps lift off the mat and your thighs and lower belly engage.  Reach out through your toes from your belly button.  Keep the lower body extending in the foot first direction as you start to lengthen the upper torso headfirst.  Continue to lengthen the front body, rooting the hips and feet and extending the crown of the head in the opposite direction.  Feel your chest begin to lift up off the mat as you reach your heart forward.  Imagine you are holding a grape fruit under your chin to keep the back of your neck long and you come into upper back extension( back bend.) Feel a gentle squeeze in between your shoulder blades to broaden your collarbones.  In this first variation your fingernails and toe nails remain connected to the mat.  As you feel more comfortable with the back arch interlacing the hands behind the back and lifting the toes off the mat to hip height are optional variations.  Keeping the main focus on lengthening the spine in both directions and drawing your belly in will protect your lower back and allow you to build strength.

Regularly checking into these principles of breath awareness, alignment and spinal rotation and flexion in your yoga practice are ways you can create and maintain balance and health in the spine and shoulders.

*On another note it has also been observed that hugs, singing, dancing, expressing your self and having fun while enjoying life greatly improve shoulder tension.

Article written by YYoga teacher:
Megan Johnson
E-RYT 500