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OPEN MIND OPEN BODY Ideas for Your Yoga Practice |
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Chest & Shoulder Openers Some of the most challenging poses in yoga are those that require an open chest and shoulders. Standing postures like Virabhadrasana A and Utakatasana, which should be practices with a straight spine, require openness in the chest and shoulders. Otherwise, these poses become unbalanced backbends, as the practitioner struggles to lean back to lift the arms overhead. Other poses require openness in the chest and shoulders in order to use gravity most effectively. In handstand and full backbend, the shoulders should be directly over the wrists to create the greatest sense of ease and balance. Even those with the strength to practice handstand or full backbend will find the poses awkward and effortful if they do not have the flexibility to fully open the chest in the pose. Working to open the chest while in these poses is not the most effective approach. Instead, you can practice a series of stretches that use gravity to open the muscles more effectively than muscular effort. Below are four stretches that target the pectoralis muscles, the lattisimus dorsi, and the front deltoid.
Stretch 1: The Lean. Practice this stretch two times - the first time, place your palm flat on the wall, keep your weight in your heels, and lean the whole body forward. Use the hand on the wall as your anchor, and and feel the stretch along the front of the chest and armpit. The second time, change the hand position so that the back of the hand is on the wall, not the palm. To do this, simply rotate the thumb away behind you, turning the arm out, and pressing the back of the hand to the wall. Repeat the forward body lean.
Stretch 2: The Twist. Lower your hand to about shoulder height, palm facing the wall, stretching the hand behind you. Then turn the whole body away from the wall, pointing the feet, knees, and hips away from the hand. Feel the stretch across the front of the chest and inner arm. If you feel tingling or too much stretch in the elbow or fingers, ease up on the stretch and slightly bend the elbow. To make this stretch more challenging and effective, you can rotate the palm to face the ceiling - only the outer edge of the pinky finger will be on the wall. You will feel a more intense stretch here.
Stretch 3: The Wall Hang. Place both hands on the wall, palms down, at about head height. Then step back and hinge slightly at the hips. Lean the torso forward, letting the chest get heavy. Draw the belly in a little bit to prevent the lower back arching too much. The more flexible you are, the more you can emphasize drawing the belly in and actually dropping the tailbone. This will invite the arms and shoulders to take over more of the release.
Stretch 4: The Wall Square. This pose is similar to wall hang, but is a little more active. Walk the hands down the wall and step further away from the wall. In this pose, it is perfectly acceptable to bend the legs as much as you need to, to get the hips-ribs-shoulders-and wrists all in one horizontal line. It is a good idea to have someone else give you feedback on this pose, as we often don't have full awareness of our own alignment - especially when it comes to chronically tense areas of the body. When you have established this straight line, push the hands into the wall and lengthen the spine as much as you can. Think about pulling the hip back as you push the hands into the wall. Do not let the shoulders sag as they did in the wall hang. This pose emphasizes stability within openness. Return to Ideas for Your Yoga Practice
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