We all know the feeling of tight shoulders, rolling forward, pulling the side and back of our neck, rounding our upper back and making us look hunched…

We all know that we should be “pulling our shoulder blades back and down”, but when we do, we find that the effort involved is too great and the result vanishes as soon as we stop actively pulling.

This is because the muscles at the front of our shoulder girdle – around the chest and pecs – have become tight and shortened through adopting the “Office Posture” , hunching over desktops, and even worse – laptops! In turn, the muscles at the back of the shoulder joint – all around our shoulderblades and upper back – have become lengthened, tight and weak. So adopting an optimal, “shoulders down and back posture” becomes not only hard, but also strains the muscles at the back, while the muscles at the front are resisting the necessary stretch.

Here is a simple video by Petra Yoga aiming to help address the front-back balance of the shoulder girdle. No more excuses – these can easily be done in the office and at home, as part of your stretching routine in the gym or at the bus stop!

It really is that simple!

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