Go on, take a wee break for five minutes of Yin Yoga. This week’s pose is great for arms, shoulders and opening up the chest and it’s called…
To get in
- Sit in a comfortable / upright position
- Bend the right arm and with the elbow pointing (relatively) up towards the ceiling, place your palm somewhere on the upper back / between the shoulder-blades
- Bend the left arm and with the elbow pointing (relatively) down towards the floor, place the back of your hand somewhere on the mid/lower back
- Bring the hands towards each other to the point you feel a stretch in either or both arms
- Repeat to the other side
Where we want to feel this
An opening in the chest & front shoulders, and the inside and outside top arms.
Adjustments
🐮 If your shoulders don’t feel right (a pinching in the front for instance), play with the position of the arms i.e. move the elbows more up or down.
🐮 Your natural stopping point may involve holding fingers or hands, but don’t push if isn’t! If you’re almost there, then an option is to use a strap or scarf. Try looping it round your wrists rather than tugging on it though, as that activates the muscles too much. 🐮 If two arms are too much just do one. 🐮 Lying on your back might help you relax into this a bit more (hands flat on your back obvs).
IMPORTANT
Don’t try to look like me in the pose & use the picture as a general guide. It’s fine if you look completely different - we ARE different!
Don’t push or activate the muscles - allow yourself to relax into the pose. We want to feel the body working, but WE DON’T WANT IT TO HURT.
If something doesn’t feel right then it isn’t, so adjust the pose or come out completely. Come out of the pose if you have had enough and lie down.
What is #5minsofyin anyway?
Every Friday, I introduce a Yin Yoga pose here for you to try out over the weekend. All you need to do is move into the shape using my instructions, relax the muscles & aim to stay still for 3-5 minutes.
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