Lakeshore Yoga

Let’s talk about shoulders and neck

This month in my blog, I want to talk about shoulders and neck.

If you ask me why, the answer is these days most of us tend to move the shoulder joint in one direction only—out in front of us. Think about it: We spend the vast majority of our time on computer keyboards, cell phones, holding the steering wheel, pushing a shopping cart, or shrugging on winter coats.

The result? We don’t take our shoulders through their full range of motion on a regular basis, and this repetition of forward-reaching tasks overtightens certain muscles in the shoulder joint while weakening others. Over time, this creates chronic misalignments of multiple muscles in the shoulder complex and eventually leads to pain and injury. Most of you know I have been working for the Lululemon Oakville store for more than 9 years as a seamstress. After a long day at work, I can feel how my neck is forward and tight and pain in my upper back. My body asks to do Gomukhasana, Garudasana, and Pashchima Namaskarasana.

Even after just these 3 poses (5 min practice), I feel better. I like to do them in the middle of the day, and after work, I do a full practice. When I do my shoulders, practice I feel energized and happier because this practice is a very good heart opener. My teacher always told us in class that students who are depressed keep their shoulders and neck forward and gaze down. In each pose, we can find benefits for the neck and shoulders, but some poses can be more beneficial for your shoulders and neck; also, shoulder injuries are common among yoga practitioners when we push too much and don’t understand the body’s limitations.

If you are interested to explore a shoulders practice, please join me on November 18th for a 2 hours shoulders workshop.

You will get a better understanding of how your body functions and being mindful of how your muscles and joints work together can help you prevent a variety of injuries and help in your daily yoga practice.

Shoulder openers are the perfect yoga postures for the month of November. They offer benefits that are both physical and psychological.

The benefits for the body include: Strengthening the upper back, improved posture, increased lung capacity,  relieved tension in the back and shoulders, increased blood circulation, and stimulation of the thyroid and pituitary glands.

The emotional benefits include: emotional release, a boost in confidence, develops compassion, relieves depression, and decreased feelings of isolation.