Shoulders Back! vs Shoulder Mobility.
I see many clients including yoga practitioners with tight shoulders. Sometimes their shoulders are hiked up due to the stresses of life. Sometimes tensions are caused by a strong belief, perhaps due to military influence, that good posture is achieved by drawing the shoulders back. One can even see these online advertisements for shoulder harnesses which promise to ‘Correct slouching hunchback for better posture’.
Indeed drawing the shoulders posteriorly makes space in the front. But this is achieved at the cost of compressing the space between the shoulder blades at the back and bringing the neck forward. Try it if you’re not sure, how does it feel?
Rolfing can help to ease tension in the shoulders. In addition for long lasting results, I recommend the most simple exercise, that is walking.
As you walk, imagine that you are in your favourite park at the weekend or on the beach.
Make sure that you’re not carrying any bag on your shoulders.
Now pay attention on how your arms and shoulders move.
Are your arms swinging? Perhaps you will also notice that with each step your shoulders rotate in and out? Yes!
According to the NHS, British people walk on average between 3,000 and 4,000 steps a day. Even though it’s not much in terms of distance, 3,000 repetitions of arm swings and shoulder rotations every day, 365 days per year is a lot. It is very beneficial for easing tensions.
Try to add a relaxed walk in your daily routines.
Aside from walking, dancing can do wonders for easing shoulder tensions. I love this scene of John Travolta dancing in Saturday Night Fever, his shoulders are so mobile. Enjoy!