Find your wings.
What would happen if we could find our wings and let our shoulders have a break?
If you hold a lot of tension in your shoulders/upper back/neck/jaw, your body compresses this area, which can make movement in this area feel a little bit icky… We’ve all had that feeling that our shoulders carry more than their fair share of the load in a day!
So how can we release this tension and float away on our wings?
Try the following:
Sit on a chair with your back up against a wall, so that you can get a sense of where your shoulder blades and ribcage want to rest.
Can you relax your head in this position too?
Begin to connect to your breath, noticing where your breath expands and contracts in your body.
As you breathe in, you will notice that your shoulder blades widen a little on the wall behind you, as you bring more air into your lungs.
If your arms are resting loosely on your lap, you may also notice that the space between your arm and your body (into your armpit) also expands a little as you breathe in.
As you bring awareness to this area, notice that your arms feel a little lighter because of the space you are creating with your breath.
Keep a sense of lightness and space into the armpits as you float the arms up to chest height.
Continue to float the arms up overhead, becoming aware of your shoulder blades sliding up the wall, supporting your upper body.
Only take the arms up to a height that allows you to stay relaxed and supported through the neck and chest.
Slowly float the arms down and repeat.
With each repetition, go a little slower, and pay attention to your breath.
See if you can float the arms with your breath, allowing your shoulder blades to do the work.
What do you think? Do you feel a little lighter? A little taller? Why not join us at a Pilates class this week to keep exploring your wings?! 💗
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