(Seemingly) Easy Shoulder Stretches

I like a woman with a head on her shoulders.  I hate necks.

~  Steve Martin

There is no need to go into any details about why you should stretch your shoulders on a daily basis, is there?  Especially this time of year when the cold causes us to not only bundle up our clothes but our muscles as well.  Just notice when you are cold and how you carry your body, and especially your arms.  It is natural to bring the arms close to the chest and hug them there to keep warm.  That isn't a big problem until the muscles start to naturally pull the front of the chest in all the time.  When we are standing in line or talking to a co-worker, that is when we perform these postural habits repeatedly without paying attention to why we are standing that way or how it can create imbalances in the body.


Here is an easy stretch that you can do almost anywhere and not look too weird while you are at the grocery store check-out line or talking to a friend at work.

• 1.  Put your arms behind your back and grab either your forearms or your elbows.  Now if you already have pretty tight pectoralis muscles in the front of the chest, this action might seem impossible.  
• 2.  An alternative would be to keep your left arm straight and grab it with your right hand just above the left elbow behind your back.  Switch sides after a couple of minutes.

Something to think about and observe during the stretch:

• Try not to over arch your back into a backbend.  Gently bring the lower ribs in.  You may notice that your weight moves more towards the back of your feet (the heels) and you become a little taller.  This is a good sign!
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• If this works for you, you can think of your pelvis as a bowl shape.  The lower rib cage as an inverted bowl.  Try to keep the rims of both these bowls in line with the floor.

The trick here is to pay attention to when you cross your arms in front of your chest during the day out of habit.  Try something new like grabbing your arms behind your back or just catch the one with the opposite hand.  This simple and yet effective stretch enables the front chest to open and not collapse which will create more space in the thoracic cavity.  More space for your lungs is a good thing for obvious reasons.

Enjoy!