YOGA: The best three yoga postures to open your shoulders and neck
Hello! I’m Georgie, mother of three boys and yoga teacher. I have been following Anna and Em @soulsisterhealth for some time and I love their anytime, anywhere approach to exercise. Like the girls at #soulsisterhealth I am passionate about women’s health and helping you feel your absolute best.
One of the things I remember about being a new mum was the tightness I felt in my neck and shoulders. There is so much forward bending and rounding of the shoulders; feeding, bathing, lifting in and out of the cot/pram/bouncer – the list is endless. No wonder there is signs of suffering in this area of the body. In this post I’ve focused on three postures to open the shoulders and neck but, as always, please treat yourself with a gentle heart and never force your body into a posture if there is pain or resistance. When practicing these postures relax through the jaw and increase saliva in the mouth to reduce stress, increase oxytocin and to activate the parasympathetic nervous system’s relaxation response.
Balasana
In this variation of balasana we ‘thread the needle’ and push down with the armpit of the underneath arm to stabilise through the scapular. This posture creates a nerve stretch into the brachial plexus and the nerves of the arm – the ulnar, medial and radial nerve.
Gomukasana
In this variation of gomukasana pull the belt away from the spine opening through the chest. Keep the head high – in line with the spine. This is a strong external rotation for the arm with the elbow pointing towards the sky and an internal rotation for the arm with the elbow pointing towards the floor. We want to tuck the floating ribs 11 and 12 in to keep the spine in alignment. Practice this posture with a softness in the neck, shoulders and jaw.
Ardha Pincha Mayurasana
Working strongly to strengthen the muscles of the rotator cuff in this posture we want to pull back with the shoulders and press the forearms into the floor. Lift through the ribcage and keep the head (ears) in line with the biceps. Squeeze the palms together activating into talahridriya marma point.
Thanks! Georgie x
We absolutely LOVE this series introduced to us by Georgie and have not only been doing it ourselves but have getting lots of our clients to do it to – with the same response from everyone. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! SO, give it a go tonight….. and as we said, new mummas, this one is made for you.
Like us, Georgie is Brisbane-based and if you would like to know more about her sessions – let us know – or alternatively, please email her on georgie_yoga@hotmail.com. She’s amazing!
Anna & Em xo
